Two inquests looking into the deaths of two 14 year-old boys bear striking similarities that should be a stark warning to all parents...and European medicine regulators.
Jake McGill-Lynch, [above] from Clondalkin, Dublin, was just 14 when he was referred to a psychiatrist in January 2013. Jake was feeling anxious due to an forthcoming 'Juinor Cert', a qualification awarded in Ireland by the Department of Education and Skills to students who have successfully completed the junior cycle of secondary education.
Jake's appointment with Consultant child psychiatrist Dr Maria Migone resulted in a prescription for Prozac [fluoxetine]. Just a few months later, Jake, armed with a gun, shot himself to death.
Jake was declared dead at 3.00am on the 20th March.
On March 20th another 14 year-old, Tom Boomer [above] of Bloxham, Banbury, started taking Prozac.
A a multi-disciplinary team at the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service in Banbury had decided that Prozac would alleviate his symptoms.
Tom was “quite upset” at moving schools, from The Warriner School in Bloxham to Chipping Norton School in January 2014.
11 days later, on March 31, Tom killed himself by jumping off a multi-storey car park.
The inquest of Jake McGill-Lynch is still ongoing but the inquest of Tom Boomer has recorded a verdict that he took his own life.
Oxfordshire coroner Darren Salter said: "Overall, it seems Tom intentionally jumped from the car park with the intention to take his own life."
If Slater delved deeper into the side effects of Prozac he would have learned that suicidal completion is a side effect and has been reported and acknowledged by makers of generic Prozac, Mylan. If he had bothered to research he would not have returned such a ludicrous statement.
Maybe Tom Boomer did not intentionally jump from a multi-story car park, maybe he was pushed by Prozac?
Despite these two inquests and despite many years of critics urging the British drug regulator to alter their stance of prescribing Prozac to kids, Doctors and adolescent psychiatrists still prescribe it to this vulnerable population.
What does it take for them to take their heads out of their arse?
Here we have two young boys facing life problems. Prozac was prescribed to them both. Prozac is indicated to treat a mental illness.
Let's just take a look again at the apparent mental illnesses of young Jake and Tom.
Jake was feeling anxious due to a forthcoming 'Juinor Cert'. He was prescribed a drug to treat a mental illness.
Tom was “quite upset” at moving schools. He was prescribed a drug to treat a mental illness.
Both prescribing 'professionals' have claimed that they had discussed the side effect issues with both sets of parents. A claim that is not acknowledged by the parents of both Jake and Tom.
"Jake was with his father John Lynch when Dr Migone prescribed the Prozac. She said she would have discussed some side effects and said Ms McGill-Lynch should feel free to call her having read the patient information leaflet that would come with the Prozac.
"Ms McGill-Lynch said only Mr Lynch had signed the consent form. Dr Migone said that it was her understanding that Ms McGill-Lynch was in favour of the medication." [Source]
In Tom's case...
"Mr Boomer told the court he and his wife were not involved in the decision-making process about Tom taking Prozac, which he started on March 20.
"The father said it had been “presented as a done deal”.
"However, child and adolescent psychiatrist for Oxford Health, Dr Ann Rowlands, who was head of Tom’s treatment team, said: “It wasn’t a done deal.”
"She said it was a joint decision by a multi-disciplinary team at the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service in Banbury that had been treating Tom’s depression.
"Dr Rowlands added she had discussed “the increased risks of self-harm” with his parents."The following is chilling. It highlights the ignorance of Jake's treating psychiatrist.
"Dr Migone said the US black label was based on a meta-analysis carried out in 2003 but later studies found no increase in suicidal ideation in young people with anxiety taking Prozac."
Those 'later studies' she refers to were industry driven and have, many times, been criticised and shown to have serious flaws. Migone did not mention this though.
My opinion, for what it's worth, is that Migone and the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service in Banbury need to go back to training school and learn about the dangers of these drugs when given to kids.
Both psychiatric units also need to try and understand that feeling anxious about a forthcoming school award and/or feeling anxious about moving school are not mental illnesses. They are life experiences.
Jake and Tom should have been allowed to talk through their anxious feelings, instead they were given a drug that is known to increase suicidal thoughts.
Way to go medicine.
Bob Fiddaman.
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