Homicides and suicides: adverse reactions to psychiatric drugs

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http://antidepaware.co.uk/homicides/                                

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http://antidepaware.co.uk/

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Professor Louis Appleby (left) is about to lead “the UK’s first national investigation into suicide in children and young people” at Manchester University. The respective roles of parents and prescribers are possibly beyond his remit, but he seems ready for the possibility that the computer may be to blame. He has stated that the investigation “will look at the role of social media and internet sites in suicides,” but has failed to mention whether he will also look at the role of psychiatric medication.

We have already seen how, at the inquest of Tallulah Wilson (right), the Internet may well have been used as a scapegoat to avoid challenging the possible mis-prescription of antidepressants that had occurred previously.

It is evident that Professor Appleby’s investigation could not possibly be expected to establish a causal link between antidepressants and suicide. But then, neither could it establish a causal link between a child’s death and the Internet or Social Media, not to mention bullying, broken relationships, pre-exam stress or any of the other factors that tend to arise at the inquests of schoolchildren.

As the influence of Prozac and other drugs is under such increased scrutiny at present, for Professor Appleby to ignore the role of psychiatric medication such as Prozac or Ritalin would mean that his investigation would be completely without credibility or validity.

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After a case of family annihilation as long ago as 2004, an Australian coroner recommended that the use of Citalopram in the treatment of depression be monitored and further studied to determine its effectiveness in the treatment of depressive illness and to guard against any side effects that may exacerbate a predisposition to violent behaviour.

I doubt whether the coroner’s recommendations were ever carried out. 9 years later, family members continue to be wiped out by partners or parents who have been prescribed Citalopram or similar psychiatric medication.

If, in cases of family annihilation, coroners were made to reveal toxicology reports and medical history of the perpetrators, then we might have some idea of the extent of the problem. At that point, perhaps, we would see the need to take measures to help to eliminate so many dreadful, avoidable tragedie