Promoting awareness of the dangers of antidepressants
In March 2014, 17-year-old John Partridge (top) took his life after discharging himself from Derriford Hospital (right) in Plymouth, without being seen by any professional who specialised in the mental health of children. John was a popular student, and Continue reading John, aged 17
Last week in Reading, Berkshire, the inquest of Elena Levchenko took place. 38-year-old Elena was born in Russia, and was also known as Helen Bedford while she was married to her ex-husband Garry. In 2005, Elena achieved the top score Continue reading In the Court of the Coroner
In June 2013, 15-year-old schoolboy George Werb (left) died near his home in Colyton, South Devon, when he was struck by a train. At the time, he was on home leave from residential care at the Southampton branch of Continue reading Treated at the Priory
Last week, my Irish friend Leonie sent me a link to the official Medical Fitness to Drive Guidelines, published by the Irish Road Safety Authority. And to save my ploughing through the 114 pages of the document, Leonie transcribed the Continue reading Driving on Antidepressants
An article in The Telegraph last month was accompanied by the headline “Antidepressants during pregnancy doubles the risk of autism”. The information had been taken for the most part from a Canadian study which concluded: “Use of antidepressants, specifically selective Continue reading Citalopram and the Unborn Baby
The Daily Mail reported on December 18th last year that the medication prescribed by a GP was deemed partly responsible for the death of a student who took his life shortly afterwards. 20-year-old university student Saagar Naresh (above) was struck Continue reading Grieving for her Son
Exactly one year ago I wrote an article called The Lost Children, in which I summarised several inquests that I had come across in 2014. In each of these it was reported that children had been prescribed antidepressants before taking Continue reading The Lost Children (2015)
Until his grandfather died towards the end of last year, Benn Sibbald was, according to his mother Tracy, “a normal teenager.” She added: “He loved playing war games on the PC and he was part of an re-enactment group, which Continue reading Benn, aged 17
During the afternoon of Saturday May 25th this year, in a house in Didcot, Oxfordshire, three bodies were discovered. Janet Jordon, her partner Philip Howard, and their 6-year-old daughter Derin had been fatally stabbed by Janet’s son, 21-year-old gardener Jed Continue reading The Facts, but not the Truth
In the 1950s and 1960s, while working for the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), David Cornwell (right) began writing novels under the pen name John le Carré. His third novel ‘The Spy Who Came in from the Cold’ (1963) became an Continue reading The Origins of ‘The Constant Gardener’
Dr Sylvia Margaret Tisdale (top), known to her family as Margaret, was an internationally renowned scientist. As a virologist, she helped to develop treatments for HIV and AIDS during the 1980s and 1990s. She went on to establish a worldwide reputation Continue reading The Scientist, the Doctor and the Coroner
“No mother in her right mind would let her child have a drug that can cause suicide and self-harm” In part one of Jake’s story, I transcribed an interview given by Stephanie, mother of Jake McGill Lynch (top), in which Continue reading Jake, aged 14 (Part Two)
Ashleigh Bowes (top) was just 14 when she took her life at her home in Macclesfield, Cheshire, in August last year. She had taken an overdose of “a drug used to treat anxiety”. An inquest heard that Ashleigh’s troubles began in October Continue reading Ashleigh, aged 14
18-year-old Jessica Monks (top) was described as a buoyant and bubbly young girl, intelligent and friendly. She had been accepted into university to study law and, in the meantime, had taken up a part-time position at a solicitor’s office. In Continue reading Jessica, Epilepsy and Antidepressants
17-year-old Jay Cheshire (top) was a popular sixth-form student at Bitterne Park School in Southampton, studying English Literature, Film Studies and Geography. He was described by one of his teachers as “hard-working” and someone who “took his studies very seriously.” Continue reading Jay, aged 17
Three years ago, at the age of 47, London-based documentary film maker Katinka Blackford Newman (top) was misdiagnosed with depression while suffering from insomnia during the aftermath of a difficult divorce. She was prescribed the antidepressant Escitalopram. She had Continue reading The Stolen Year: Katinka’s Story
On Wednesday of this week, I had the privilege of attending a conference that was held in the beautiful Bethesda Church (top) in Copenhagen, Denmark. The theme of the event was Psychiatric drugs do more harm than good. The conference Continue reading Hope in Copenhagen
In March 2013, 14-year-old Jake McGill Lynch (above) took his life after being prescribed Fluoxetine (Prozac). Ever since that time, Jake’s parents Stephanie and John (left) have fought relentlessly on Jake’s behalf to have his story heard. However, due in Continue reading Jake, aged 14 (Part One)
One day in April 2010, at her home in Decorah, Iowa, it came as a complete surprise to Tabita Green (right) when her 13-year-old daughter Rebecka told her that sometimes she felt “depressed.” “I cry in the bathroom sometimes,” Continue reading Her Lost Year
Luke Montagu, aka Viscount Hinchingbrooke, will one day become the Earl of Sandwich. He, his wife Julie and their four children (top) live in their ancestral home (left) at Mapperton in Dorset, named by Country Life as the finest Continue reading How Antidepressants Ruined Luke’s Life
In Dublin, a proposed amendment to the Coroner’s Bill was presented today to the Dáil, the Irish Parliament, by Pádraig Mac Lochlainn TD (right), Sinn Féin’s Justice Spokesperson. The bill, to be known as ‘Jake’s Amendment’, would amend the Continue reading Jake’s Amendment
GazetteLive, an online newspaper covering the Teesside area, reported yesterday on the inquest into the death of Taylor Smith (top). Taylor was just 9 years old when he hanged himself in his bedroom in Billingham in August 2013. He suffered Continue reading Taylor, aged 9
Last Wednesday, King’s College London hosted its 52nd Maudsley Debate, with the premise that This house believes that the long term use of psychiatric medications is causing more harm than good. The debate was so popular that many of the Continue reading More Harm than Good
A report by Sarah-Kate Templeton in yesterday’s Sunday Times told of the tragic and avoidable death of 17-year-old Alice Gibbs (top) from Barnet, North London. Alice was an exceptional student who achieved outstanding GCSE results. She also sat on the Continue reading Alice, aged 17
On March 24th, a week ago today, an event occurred which was almost unprecedented: a commercial pilot deliberately took his life by crashing an airliner. To be specific, 27-year-old co-pilot Andreas Lubitz (right) took control of the Germanwings Airbus A320 Continue reading Reporting a Tragedy
Towards the end of last week, three inquests were widely reported in both local and national newspapers. In each case, avoidable death was preceded by irrational behaviour and, almost inevitably, antidepressant medication. The first of these inquests took place in Continue reading To Reason Why
A report entitled Stolen Lives and Missed Opportunities: The deaths of young adults and children in prison was published today by Inquest. The report was funded by the Barrow Cadbury Trust as part of the work of Transition to Adulthood (T2A) Continue reading Stolen Lives and Missed Opportunities
28-year-old teaching assistant Joanne Norris (left) was a month away from giving birth to her second child when she drove from Clacton to Witham railway station (above) on March 16th last year after an outing with her husband and Continue reading Failure to Warn
Beneath the headline Falling through the Gaps, yesterday’s Guardian related the story of Martin Strain (above), who took his life last August at the age of 34. Martin had attempted suicide in 2007 after having been made redundant. The Continue reading Falling through the Gaps
Yet again, I find myself writing about the tragic self-inflicted death of a child that that is linked to, and in all probability induced by, the taking of antidepressants. 15-year-old Jade Kosanlavit (above) was a talented and hardworking schoolgirl who, Continue reading Jade, aged 15
Today is the 25th anniversary of the death of Del Shannon (above), who died on February 8th 1990 at the age of 55. Del was a singer-songwriter whose career took off in spectacular fashion with the release of the song Continue reading Remembering Del Shannon
17-year-old Kesia Leatherbarrow took her life a day after spending 48 hours in custody in a Greater Manchester police station. Kesia, described as intelligent and an extremely talented musician, had been arrested on 30 November 2013 after she broke a window Continue reading Kesia, aged 17
Last Friday, the Mirror published the disturbing report of a tragedy that happened in the Accident & Emergency (A&E) Department of the Royal Blackburn Hospital (top) in Lancashire. 42-year-old Jackie Williams (right), a former care worker and mother to three Continue reading First do no harm – then keep from harm
Last week, the Hull Daily Mail announced a campaign that they are calling Kids in Crisis. The newspaper is justifiably concerned about the lack of mental health facilities for children in the area, and it is calling for better out-of-hours Continue reading Kids in Crisis
On 12th February last year, several hundred people gathered to pay their respects at the funeral (above) of 42-year-old Lorna Clymo. The church in Keighley, West Yorkshire, was so full that many of the crowd had to stand outside in the Continue reading The Best of Care?
2015 is the year which marks the 10th anniversary of the publication by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) of their Clinical Guideline 28 (CG28), entitled Depression in Children and Young People. In Section 1.6 of this document, Continue reading The Lost Children (2014)
In the coastal town of Blackpool, Lancashire, one in every six adults is prescribed antidepressants, a proportion that is higher than that of any other English town. Earlier this month, Louis Appleby (right) of the Centre for Suicide Prevention confirmed, Continue reading Blackpool Stories
(Updated May 2015 – see below) 17-year-old Stacey Hyde (right) spent the evening of 3rd September 2009 out drinking with her friend Holly Banwell (27) in their home town of Wells in Somerset. Afterwards, the pair decided to return Continue reading Free Stacey Hyde
Last year I wrote an article in which I was critical of Robin Balmain (right), coroner for an area known as the Black Country, an urban region to the west of Birmingham. On one morning in June last year, Mr Continue reading The Thirty Minute Inquest
15-year-old schoolboy George Werb died near his home in Colyton, South Devon, on Friday June 28 2013, when he was struck by a train. George was a talented singer, and was well-known in the local community for his appearances in Continue reading George, aged 15