On this episode of the Burning Bear Podcast, host Anthony sits down with Derek Blumke — an advocate with War Cry for Change, a National Legislative Committee member for the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and State Legislative Director for VFW Michigan — to break down the Lindsay Clancy trial and what it reveals about SSRI prescribing, informed consent, and the mental health system.
Derek walks through Lindsay Clancy's full medication history (13 drugs, 32 prescriptions, 5 prescribers in 4 months), his own experience tapering off Zoloft, and two lesser-known VA cases — Julia Larson and Andrew Isles — where veterans under psychiatric care killed their mothers within 48 hours of each other in 2022.
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Intro – Meet Derek Blumke (War Cry for Change / VFW / Grunt Style Foundation)
1:45 - Derek's Path: From Student Veterans of America to VA Advocacy
5:48 - The Lindsay Clancy Case: What Happened
7:44 - Veteran Suicide Stats & the Prescription Parallel
16:09 - Do All Psychiatric Medications Carry Risk?
17:56 - The FDA's 2004 Suicide Risk Box Warning
20:35 - Inside Lindsay Clancy's Treatment at McLean Hospital
22:39 - Derek's Own Zoloft Withdrawal Story
23:35 - "You Can Just Stop" – The Psychiatrist's Courtroom Testimony
25:31 - The Serotonin Theory, Debunked
29:48 - Why Pills Alone Aren't the Answer
31:04 - SSRI Dependency vs. Hormone Therapy Withdrawal
38:39 - Parallels to the Opioid Epidemic
43:00 - Lifestyle, Stress & Holistic Mental Health
45:01 - Lindsay Clancy's Full Prescription Cascade
45:55 - The Veteran Connection: Two Cases, 48 Hours Apart
47:36 - Julia Larson's Case
49:22 - Andrew Isles' Case & the "Supreme Victims"
50:18 - Who's Accountable? The Case for Informed Consent
53:07 - Follow the Money: Pharma Profits vs. Patients
1:00:56 - The Greta Thunberg Tangent: Why Action Matters
1:10:31 - Upton Sinclair, The Jungle & the History of Regulation
1:14:37 - The VA's New Informed Consent Commitment
1:17:19 - Does Contacting Congress Actually Work?
1:19:58 - Get Involved: Organizations to Support
1:22:32 - Collective Action Is What Moves the Needle
1:24:37 - Where to Find Derek Blumke
1:27:42 - Final Thoughts & Wrap-Up
ABOUT OUR GUEST
Derek Blumke - Learn more at gruntstylefoundation.org.
Episode Mentions:
Tim Jensen
William Wisner
GET INVOLVED
- Contact your member of Congress and ask them to support the Written Consent Act
- Ask the VA to implement full written informed consent for psychiatric medications
- Civilians can get involved through the Antidepressant Coalition for Education
A NOTE ON THIS EPISODE
This conversation includes detailed discussion of suicide, homicide, and psychiatric medication withdrawal, including firsthand accounts. If you or someone you know is struggling, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available by call or text, 24/7.
#LindsayClancy #SSRI #VeteranAdvocacy #MentalHealth #GruntStyleFoundation
