Promoting awareness of the dangers of antidepressants
On April 8th 2017, 16-year-old schoolgirl Karen Edgar (top) was found by her mother in her bedroom at home in the village of Little Clifton in Cumbria. She was taken to West Cumberland Hospital in Whitehaven, but was pronounced dead Continue reading Karen, aged 16
A large proportion of the articles I’ve written for this website in the past few years have followed the inquests of children who have taken their lives as a consequence of the reckless and inappropriate prescription of psychotropic medications such Continue reading A Reflective Checklist…
Ten days ago, on February 14th, a mass shooting occurred at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. 17 people were killed and 14 more were hospitalised. The perpetrator, 19-year-old ex-pupil Nikolas Cruz, was subsequently arrested and charged. What Continue reading From Columbine to Parkland
As in the other countries that make up the United Kingdom, Scotland has seen a large rise in the number of antidepressants prescribed in the past decade, along with a similar rise in the number of suicides. During this period, Continue reading Scotland in the News
Shortly after 4 o’clock on the afternoon of Sunday July 25th last year, a 20-year-old apprentice engineer died when he was struck by a train at Bramhall Station (top) in Greater Manchester. An inquest this week at Stockport Coroner’s Court Continue reading A Sunday Afternoon in Summer
Earlier this week, the online version of 9News in Australia published an interview with the father of an 8-year-old boy from New South Wales who tried twice to take his life while on antidepressants. The intellectually-gifted boy, given the pseudonym Continue reading “Mental Health in Crisis”
When 20-year-old maths student James Thomson (left) was found hanged at his house in Bristol on October 25th last year, it was reported that he was he was the sixth student from the University of Bristol (top) to have Continue reading Bristol University: the antidepressant connection
In the course of my research, I have come across many inquest reports in which there appeared to be all the hallmarks of an antidepressant-related death, but where there was no mention of medication. However, in several reports, treatment by Continue reading “Suffering from Depression” – 2018
This is the fourth in the annual series of Lost Children posts, in which I recall the children who lost their lives after being prescribed antidepressants, and whose inquests have been reported during the past year. I also include links Continue reading The Lost Children (2017)
“She had just been prescribed a new drug, Fluoxetine, which could cause increased agitation and increased risk of self-harm.” On July 19th this year, 15-year-old Becky Romero (top) was found by her father Tony at her home in Bristol. She Continue reading Becky, aged 15
The first antidepressant ruined Faye’s life. The second antidepressant took her life. On June 29th this year, 23-year-old Faye Howard (top) sent a text to her boyfriend Billy, telling him that she was “feeling like a burden”. Billy contacted the Continue reading A Tragic Tale of Two Antidepressants
Over the past few years, I have written several pieces about the tragic Prozac-induced death of Jake McGill Lynch, and the courage of their parents Stephanie and John as they have taken on Irish Psychiatry and the Irish Parliamentary System Continue reading Jake, aged 14 (Part Three)
I am old enough to be familiar with a humorous children’s song by Burl Ives (top), recorded in 1953, which was played every now and then on what was known at the time as the wireless. I Know an Continue reading “I Know an Old Lady”
16-year-old Daisy French (top) lost her life at around 8pm on April 19th this year, when she was struck by a train at the station which serves Meadowhall Shopping Centre in Sheffield. Last week’s two-day inquest at the Medico-Legal Continue reading Daisy, aged 16
Chloe Hillier (top) was 17 years old, and was the mother of a young son. On the morning of March 30th this year, she was found hanged in Boundary Park, Blackpool. At her inquest yesterday, Chloe’s mother Louise Hiller described Continue reading Chloe, aged 17
On Wednesday July 26th, BBC showed a thoughtful, well-researched Panorama documentary called A Prescription for Murder?. The programme was directed and introduced by Shelley Jofre (left), who, several years ago, exposed The Secrets of Seroxat. Most of the recent Continue reading The Great Myth Buster
On January 9th this year, 16-year-old Rachel (top) left her school in Stoke Newington, London, at lunchtime and hanged herself in a nearby park. Rachel’s mother Sarah (left) wrote to me in May, to tell me that, five weeks Continue reading Losing Rachel
On January 4th this year, 14-year-old schoolboy Stephen Mortimer (top) was found hanged in the back garden of his home in Calder Vale, near Garstang in Lancashire. He had previously been diagnosed with autism, and struggled to cope with anxiety, Continue reading Stephen, aged 14
On January 9th this year, at about 4:20 in the afternoon, Mrs Mills was returning home from taking her dogs for a walk when saw two girls lying on the grass together on the field near her home in the Continue reading The Killing of Katie
On June 8th last year, I read a report in the Manchester Evening News, following the inquest of 18-year-old Heather Blower (top). On December 27th 2015, Heather had been found by her twin sister Heidi, hanged in her bedroom. Following Continue reading Losing Heather
An inquest in Reading Town Hall (right) this week recalled the events which culminated in the death of 18-year-old George Cheese (top) on April 9th 2015. That evening, George’s father Keith saw him walk downstairs wearing a rucksack and Continue reading George, aged 18
On December 9th 2015, 15-year-old Pippa (“Pip”) McManus (top) lost her life when she stepped in front of a train at Gatley Station (right) in South Manchester. For three years, Pip had been battling against anorexia. When she was 12, Continue reading Pippa, aged 15
Just a few days after a Chicago jury decided that GSK’s Paroxetine was to blame for the suicide of a 57-year-old lawyer, an article in the Australian edition of the Daily Mail by journalist Belinda Cleary (left) revealed that Continue reading Australian Antidepressants Class Action
History was made in Chicago yesterday when, in a landmark court case, a jury decided that GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) failed to warn Stewart Dolin (top) of the risk of suicidal ideation which came with their SSRI antidepressant Paroxetine, marketed as Continue reading Chicago Hope
Propranolol was developed by AstraZeneca in the 1960s, but is now available as a generic drug. It is a type of medication known as a beta-blocker. Its main purpose is to manage high blood pressure and problems with cardiac Continue reading Why Propranolol?
Earlier this week, the Bristol Post reported the inquest of Miriam Macarron’Arroy (right) at Avon Coroner’s Court, beneath the headline: “Spanish woman who fell to her death in Avon Gorge feared she would be deported because of Brexit”. For Continue reading Blame it on Brexit
An inquest in Caernarfon this week heard Joy James pay tribute to her daughter Josie (top), whom she described as “a fun-loving and quirky young woman who loved people”. The youngest of three children, Josie was said to have Continue reading Josie, aged 15
In the past eight days, I have read three reports of inquests in local newspapers from various parts of England. The subject of each of the inquests was a school pupil who had been prescribed antidepressants before suffering a self-inflicted Continue reading Rosemary, Ela and Joe
Yesterday, the UK Judiciary website published a Prevention of Future Deaths (PFD) Report, submitted by Anna Morris (right), assistant coroner for South Manchester, in which she set out various Matters of Concern after last month’s inquest of 28-year-old Bolton mother Continue reading Rachel: Matters of Concern
On June 14th last year, at around 6:30 pm, 13-year-old schoolgirl Sophie Clark (top) told her father James that she was going for a walk. When she failed to return home by 11pm, her worried father contacted the police to Continue reading Sophie, aged 13
On July 11th last year, 62-year-old Paul Bond (right) attacked his wife with a lump hammer as she slept at their home in the village of Over in Cambridgeshire. He then placed the blood-stained hammer under a pillow on the Continue reading A Risk to the Public
In the course of my research, I have come across many inquest reports in which there appeared to be all the hallmarks of an antidepressant-related death, but where there was no mention of medication. However, in several reports, treatment Continue reading “Suffering from Depression” – 2017
Following on from The Lost Children (2014 & 2015), this is the third in the annual series of posts in which I recall the children of England and Wales who lost their lives after being prescribed antidepressants, and whose inquests Continue reading The Lost Children (2016)
Today saw the publication of the interim Suicide prevention report, published by the UK Government House of Commons Health Committee, and summarised on the Government’s website. Four months ago, I accepted the invitation given by the Committee to submit evidence Continue reading Suicide Prevention: a Conflict of Interest
Bullied, then medicated “He was on antidepressants, but the dose got higher, and each time it did, he seemed to get worse in himself” Below this article are a number of links to more reports about children who have taken Continue reading Brandon, aged 15
(This selection of reviews was originally compiled in November 2016. Since that time, more reviews have been published, and excerpts from some of them have been added to the selection) A Domestic Homicide Review (DHR) is defined as “a locally Continue reading Domestic Homicide Reviews
In August last year, 22-year-old architecture student Juliet Crew (top), described as “outgoing and bubbly”, was found hanged in the house in Taunton where she lived with her family. Three years before her death, Juliet’s stepfather Nigel Parkin (right) Continue reading Abuse upon Abuse
18-year-old Rebecca Haley (top) was in her final year at Gresham’s, a prestigious private boarding school in Norfolk. On the morning of April 30th this year, Rebecca was found hanged in her bedroom at the school. At yesterday’s inquest, Continue reading Rebecca, aged 18
In 2009, Sanjay Nijhawan and his wife Sonita (right) bought a house in an exclusive area of Weybridge, Surrey. They had it demolished, and on the site they had a new house built. In May this year, 46-year-old Sanjay, who Continue reading Sanjay, Sonita and Unanswered Questions
Iain Farrimond (top) is 54 years old. For the past 23 years, he had enjoyed “an impeccable career” with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in Birmingham, latterly as a senior crown prosecutor. Yesterday, at Nottingham Crown Court (right), Iain Continue reading In Defence of the Prosecutor