Veterans Harm Reduction Roundtable

Join global experts, surviving families, and veterans with lived experience for a National Veterans Harm Reduction Roundtable, exploring the relationship between medications and veteran suicide - Hosted by the Grunt Style Foundation, in partnership with the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Disabled American Veterans.

This convening is a follow-up discussion from the House Veterans Affairs Committee’s 2010 hearings titled “Exploring the Relationship Between Medications and Veteran Suicides.” On June 5th, this half-day convening is being hosted from 12-5 PM EST in the US Capitol Visitor Center, Room SVC 212-10. We are honored to bring together legislators, veterans, surviving families, mental health professionals, veteran service organizations, and global experts to examine the role medication prescribing practices can play in veteran suicides

We are honored to be joined by global experts in medicine, research, and advocacy, including:

• Dr. Peter Gøtzsche – Physician, researcher, and co-founder of the Cochrane Collaboration
• Dr. Josef Witt-Doerring – Board-certified psychiatrist, founder of the Taper Clinic, former FDA regulator, and former clinical researcher at Janssen
• Dr. Larry J. Miller – board-certified emergency medicine physician who has treated more than 130,000 emergency patients and sadly lost his son Mark to suicide less than two months ago
• Robert Whitaker – Investigative journalist, author of Anatomy of an Epidemic, and founder of Mad in America
• Kim Witczak – Global drug safety advocate, marketing executive, and former member of the FDA’s Psychopharmacological Drug Advisory Committee
• Angela Peacock – MSW, CPC-ICF, Psych Drug Withdrawal Consultant, Patient Advocate, Coach, Combat Veteran

Building on Momentum

This convening builds upon the success of GSF’s Veterans Harm Reduction Summits—held previously in Boston, Massachusetts, and at the VFW National Home in Eaton Rapids, Michigan. Those events brought together state agencies, national and local veteran organizations, and leaders from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

The summit series draws inspiration from the FDA’s 1991 “Prozac Hearings” and the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee’s 2010 hearings of the same name.

Why Now

As our understanding of mental health continues to evolve, it's clear that we must take a closer look at all factors contributing to the veteran suicide crisis. In recent years, both emerging research and powerful stories from veterans and their families have pointed to the need for more careful, individualized approaches to prescribing and deprescribing. By hosting this updated discussion from hearings more than 15 years ago, we have a unique opportunity to elevate diverse perspectives, share the latest data and lived experiences, and collaborate on meaningful, evidence-based solutions to this crisis. In 2025, we are calling on leaders across all sectors to join us in advancing harm reduction strategies that prioritize safety, informed choice, and the long-term well-being of those who have served.

Pre-event Film Screening of Medicating Normal w/ Panel Discussion

When: Wednesday, June 4th | 6-8:30 pm EDT

Where: Auditorium - Kellogg Conference Hotel Capitol Hill at Gallaudet - Capitol Hill, 800 Florida Ave NE, Washington, DC 20002-3695

Join us for a pre-event film screening of the award-winning documentary Medicating Normal. Over 68% of veterans under VA care are prescribed psychiatric drugs daily (7 in 10) — yet their suicide rate remains more than twice that of the general adult population. The award-winning documentary Medicating Normal follows five high-functioning individuals—including two veterans—who were prescribed psychiatric drugs for trauma, stress, depression, insomnia, and grief. What began as “treatment” led to debilitating and life-threatening consequences.

Panelists include: Dr. Peter Gøtzsche – Physician, researcher, and co-founder of the Cochrane Collaboration; Robert Whitaker – Investigative journalist, author of Anatomy of an Epidemic, and founder of Mad in America; Lynn Cunningham, filmmaker of Medicating Normal; Angela Peacock – MSW, CPC-ICF, Psych Drug Withdrawal Consultant, Patient Advocate, Coach, Combat Veteran