There are many reasons people taking psychiatric drugs commit violence on themselves or others. Often, one major factor is an adverse effect known as akathisia.

Akathisia is a movement disorder that makes it impossible to sit or remain still due to an intense inner restlessness. It is an internal torment that, at its worst, makes life so torturous that, in the words of one pharmaceutical executive, “Death is a welcome result.” Psychiatrists know their drugs can cause akathisia. Yet they rarely warn patients that this might occur as a side effect.