Rx Addiction

And though she's not really ill
There's a little yellow pill
She goes running for the shelter
Of a mother's little helper
And it gets her on her way
Gets her through her busy day
--Rolling Stones

Sobering data suggesting that the number of Americans hooked on legally prescribed drugs is larger than the number addicted to illegal drugs. More than 30 million Americans, including about one in four women aged 40 to 60, are on antidepressants. Doctors are writing more than 250 million prescriptions for painkillers annually.

Drug addiction is a form of dependence. When facilitated by government and the medical profession, it creates institutionalized followers.

Moreover, the influence of particular pharmaceuticals, such as SSRI antidepressants, on precipitating illness and violent crime (e.g., mass shootings) are not well understood, although evidence mounts.

Presumably, the purpose of prescription drugs is to help people cope with illness. Plausibly, however, prescription drugs as consumed in the United States foster illness and aggression.