June 11, 2025

Austria is mourning after a mass shooting at a high school in Graz left 10 people dead, including teenagers and a teacher, and many more injured. The 21-year-old former student who carried out the attack acted alone and later took his own life. As the nation grieves, the search for answers has begun—but one question may never be answered under current Austrian law: Did psychiatric drug treatment or mental health services play a role in this tragedy?

Austria’s Psychotherapy Act of 1991 is among the strictest in the world. It protects all details of a person’s mental health treatment—even after a crime as devastating as this. Unless there is a direct and imminent threat to life, therapists cannot disclose any information about a patient’s psychiatric drugs or treatment, not even to authorities or the public.  However, in the United States there are exceptions to the HIPPA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) a federal law that aims to protect patient’s personal health information. But the vital exceptions are not followed, a perfect example: the Tennessee mass killer Audrey Hale.  The mental health and drug industry failed to disclose that Hale was a threat to herself or others, which is in violation to the HIPPA law.  This psychiatric industry cover up of the dangerous cocktail of drugs illustrates further the need for lawmakers and human rights organizations full access to the mental health records in these mass killings that are happening around the World.  Without these mental health and treatment records, this means that, after a mass shooting, families, investigators, and society are left in the dark about whether psychiatric medications or mental health interventions were a contributing factor, or if there were failures—or even abuses—within the mental health system.

This wall of silence stands in stark contrast to how Austria and other countries treat corporate data. When major companies leak or sell the personal data of millions, the consequences are often limited to fines. Sensitive information—names, addresses, even political preferences—can end up in the hands of criminals or marketers, and yet, the public learns far more about these breaches than about the mental health backgrounds of those who commit the most serious crimes.

The United States recently took a different approach. Tennessee’s new landmark law requires that, after a mass shooting, the state must test for therapeutic levels of psychiatric drugs in the autopsy of the mass killer and are required to send results to the University for further study on drug interactions and report any history of psychiatric drug treatment or mental health services received by the perpetrator prior to the mass killing to the lawmakers and released to public if requested. The goal is to protect human rights in whatever mental health options one picks—it’s called protecting informed consent.

First and foremost, it is important to recall that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires a Black Box Warning for suicidality on all antidepressants. That’s right, the FDA believes that taking the mind-altering drugs can cause someone to commit suicide. But frankly, there are other dangerous side effects, including the following examples a few antidepressants:

Zoloft: emotional lability, aggravated depression, aggressive reaction, aggression, agitation, anxiety, depersonalization, depression, nightmares, mania, hallucination, psychosis, paranoia, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempt.

Prozac: insomnia, anxiety, abnormal dreams, agitation, hostility, hypomania, mania, personality disorder, abnormal thinking, depersonalization, paranoid reaction, psychosis, suicidal thoughts and behavior, suicide attempt, aggression, delusions, and hallucinations.

Trazadone: Confusion, mania/hypomania, aggressive reaction, agitation (sometimes exacerbating to delirium), anxiety, cognitive impairment, confusional state, delusions, discontinuation syndrome, hallucinations, hypomania, insomnia, mania, nightmares, restlessness, suicidal behavior, suicidal ideation, suicidal thoughts, abnormal dreams, paranoid reaction, psychosis.

If Austria’s laws never allow this kind of review, how can anyone know if psychiatric drugs or treatments are a contributing factor, or if there are human rights abuses or systemic failures in mental health care? How can the public trust that the system is working—or know what needs to change—if such information is always kept secret, even after the worst has happened?

Austria now faces a choice: maintain absolute secrecy or allow for carefully controlled disclosure in the aftermath of mass violence. Without this, the country may never learn the lessons that could save lives in the future.

AbleChild is a 501(3) C nonprofit organization has recently co-written landmark legislation in Tennessee, setting a national precedent for transparency and accountability in the intersection of mental health, pharmaceutical practices, and public safety.

What you can do.  Sign the Petition calling for federal hearings!

Donate! Every dollar you give is a powerful statement, a resounding declaration that the struggles of these families will no longer be ignored. Your generosity today will echo through generations, ensuring that the rights and well-being of children are fiercely guarded. Don’t let another family navigate this journey alone. Donate now and join us in creating a world where every child’s mind is nurtured, respected, and given the opportunity to thrive.  As a 501(c)3 organization, your donation to AbleChild is not only an investment in the well-being of vulnerable children but also a tax-deductible contribution to a cause that transcends individual lives.