Many vets given psychiatric drugs without diagnosis

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Many vets given psychiatric drugs without diagnosis

By Allison Bond Kotru NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Nearly one-third of U.S. veterans who are given psychiatric medications by their doctors do not have a diagnosed mental health problem, according to a new study. Older vets between ages 65 and 85 were the ones most commonly prescribed psychotropic drugs without a formal diagnosis, and were least likely to be receiving mental health treatment, researchers report in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. The findings are important because such drugs can pose serious health risks. "Psychiatric medications can save lives, but they can also cause harm," said Ilse Wiechers, a psychiatrist at Yale School of Medicine and lead author of the study.

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