Depression: Cases Number 4, 5 and 6

Following on from Part I [Depression: Cases Number 1, 2 and 3] today sees a further 3 cases that fall outside of the NHS definition of depression. All subjects in these case histories were originally diagnosed with depression, however, I argue that their acts (whilst being treated for depression) do not fall under the umbrella of depressive symptoms.

So, what made cases 4, 5 and 6 carry out the following acts?

Case # 4

Leonard O. Parker Thursday was found guilty of all 10 counts in the bank robbery of two banks in January 2006, including the First Citizens Bank branch in the Peachtree section of Cherokee County.

Parker, who previously owned Mountain Max Auto Superstore on the Murphy Highway in Union County, was charged with bank robbery and kidnapping in connection with the January 11, 2006 robbery of the Peachtree bank and the January 6 robbery of the Mooresville Savings Bank in Cornelius, North Carolina. Parker resided in Morganton, GA at the time of the robberies.

A federal Grand Jury in Bryson City took only an hour and 15 minutes to find Parker guilty of all 10 counts against him. It will be two months or longer before Parker is sentenced, prosecutor Don Gast said. [1]

Question: How does someone who according to the NHS 'symptoms of depression checklist', takes part in fewer activities, have no motivation or interest in things, have continuous low moods and sadness, all of a sudden feel the urge to rob two banks and kidnap?

The article continues with...

Parker was found guilty of five charges for each of the two bank robberies. He was found guilty of bank robbery, assaulting a teller in a bank robbery, taking a teller in a bank robbery (kidnapping), use of a firearm during a bank robbery and possession of a firearm while being a convicted felon. Both robberies were similar, in that Parker used a pistol and forced tellers to drive him away from the bank to his getaway vehicle.

I'll ask again, where does it stipulate in the NHS 'symptoms of depression checklist' that symptoms of depression include robbing banks, kidnapping, assaulting people and threatening to use a gun?

What also came out at trial was...

Parker testified that he went on buying sprees including getting up at 3 a.m. to go to Wal Mart.

Photos of Parker in the bank show him smiling and cutting up with the tellers.

Parker's former wife testified that Parker called her up and asked her to go gambling with him and he didn't act different than normal, even though he had just robbed two banks.

Parker testified that he quit taking Paxil [Seroxat] at the end of December, 2005, shortly before the bank robberies.

So, what caused this bizarre behaviour? Did Parker carry out these bizarre acts because he was in debt, if so, why was he prescribed an antidepressant like Paxil - is debt a mental illness?

If he stopped taking his Paxil then maybe one could argue that his depression had returned, however, as I've said, behaviour like the above is not a symptom of depression.

Could it be that Parker was suffering severe Paxil withdrawal which made him delusional, fearless, irrational?

It's worth looking into, don't you think?




Case # 5

A Parma man is facing charges after he impersonated a police officer, and is caught by a real police officer he tried to pull over.

Micahel Gustafson, 50, faces a five-count grand jury indictment stemming from the Dec. 17 incident.

According to police, Gustafson put a blinking blue police light on his dashboard at around 2:30 a.m. He then shined a high-beam flashlight at a woman in a car at the intersection of East 110th Street and St. Clair, in Cleveland.

Gustafson reportedly told the woman he was a police officer, and that he stopped her for driving erratically.

However, the woman turned out to be a Cleveland police detective, and she quickly called for backup.

Police found Gustafson was carrying a gun and had a stolen police radio in his car. A search of his home also revealed more police and law enforcement paraphernalia.

Gustafson faces five counts, including impersonating a police officer and carrying a concealed weapon. [2]

All seems like Gustafson was a slightly wacky character. However, it later emerged, in another article [3], that Gustafson was "put in jail for three days, without access to his medication for depression."

So, Gustafson was depressed at the time of his actions. Impersonation and theft are not mentioned in the NHS 'symptoms of depression checklist', so why did he exhibit this bizarre behaviour. Did his behaviour merit what the NHS state about depressive symptoms, namely; takes part in fewer activities, have no motivation or interest in things, have continuous low moods and sadness?

If this bizarre behaviour was not depression then what could have caused it, his medication for depression perhaps?



Case # 6

Mark Douglas-Hamilton, 30, used a pair of wire cutters to hold up a garage in Oxford where he walked away with a packet of cigarettes. A CCTV recording of the event shows his bizarre behaviour, where he joked with customers. Two weeks later, the theatre stage manager stole some CDs from a record shop.

Douglas-Hamilton, who lives near Hereford, was due to face trial  in Oxford on two charges of theft. But the case was unexpectedly dropped by the CPS, which did not give a reason for the discontinuance .

This story intrigues me as I have covered it before on this blog after being contacted by Mark via Twitter.

Douglas-Hamilton told me in a private conversation that his medical records seem to have gone missing and he cannot get access to any of the evidence provided in court. His defence lawyer is, according to Douglas-Hamilton, not returning his calls.

He was diagnosed as having anxiety and depression, neither of which claim holding up garages is a symptom.

An expert witness, Dr David Taylor, then working as head of pharmacology at the British psychiatric hospital, Maudsley, had prepared a report for the defence, passed to the CPS, which concluded that the effects of Seroxat could have contributed to his behaviour.

Upon seeing this, it is alleged by Douglas-Hamilton, Crown Prosecution decided to throw the case out.

Furthermore, Douglas-Hamilton  is alleging that lawyers for GlaxoSmithKline approached his defence lawyer who was told to keep his client quiet.

Why did the Crown Prosecution pull the case, up until the point of Dr David Taylor's evidence they must have thought they had a good case, right? CCTV footage, witnesses, they had Douglas-Hamilton bang to rights, as they say. Why was Dr Taylor's evidence deemed so detrimental to the Crown's case, more importantly what was that evidence and why has Douglas-Hamilton never been allowed access to it?

Did GlaxoSmithKline's lawyers really tell Douglas-Hamilton's defence lawyer to tell his client to keep quiet?

Why did the Crown Prosecution offer no explanation as to why they dropped all charges?

Douglas-Hamilton was due to plead not guilty using non-insane automatism as his defence. The defence of non-insane automatism exists where a person commits a crime in circumstances where their actions can be said to be involuntary. A finding of non-insane automatism may also exist where the defendant is not conscious of their actions due to an external factor often as a result of medication.

A spokeswoman for GlaxoSmithKline said, at the time: "Violence and aggression are a feature of anxiety and depression disorders. Seroxat will reduce levels of these, and neither violence or aggression are withdrawal symptoms."

She has to be kidding, right?

A survey carried out by the mental health charity MIND, in collaboration with bbc TV's Panorama, found that 97% of respondents knew of someone who had experienced unwanted or uncomfortable reactions to Seroxat [Paxil]. These included: reduced sexual desire, sleep problems, fatigue, irritability and sweating. One in five reported violent behaviour. Half who had experienced a reaction had feelings of self harm or suicide and more than four out of five experienced withdrawal problems. [4]

Given that the above cases cannot be explained away by 'depression' it could be safe to assume, one would think, that the medication caused the out of character and bizarre behaviour... unless there's any psychiatrists out there who would like to explain the reasons for me?

Bob Fiddaman

Previous Case Files - Depression: Cases Number 1, 2 and 3




[1] Parker guilty on all counts
[2] Man Impersonates Cop, Pulls Over Real Officer
[3] Alleged Cop Impersonator Says He Wanted To Stop Erratic Driver
[4] Dark secrets lurking in the drugs cabinet

Depression: Cases Number 1, 2 and 3

Over the next couple of weeks I am going to focus on depression, moreover, on media reports of bizarre behavior by people who have been diagnosed with depression. First it's important to understand how depression is defined.


Definition of depression according the National Health Service [NHS] in the UK [1]

Psychological symptoms include:

• continuous low mood or sadness
• feeling hopeless and helpless
• having low self-esteem 
• feeling tearful
• feeling guilt-ridden
• feeling irritable and intolerant of others 
• having no motivation or interest in things
• finding it difficult to make decisions
• not getting any enjoyment out of life
• feeling anxious or worried 
• having suicidal thoughts or thoughts of harming yourself

Social symptoms include:

• not doing well at work
• taking part in fewer social activities and avoiding contact with friends
• neglecting your hobbies and interests
• having difficulties in your home and family life

Question I'm putting out is simple really. Given that all the above are actually symptoms of depression how do depressed people, who remember, take part in fewer activities, have no motivation or interest in things, have continuous low moods and sadness, get from that to the following...

Case # 1

October 16, 2003 A Boonville, Ind., man remained in recovery Wednesday after shooting himself in the leg on Victoria National Golf Course, officials reported. The 21-year-old man, who police refused to identify during their investigation, is believed to have fired the shots between midnight Saturday and 7 a.m. Sunday. He also allegedly stole a golf cart, and shot one of the greens multiple times. [2]

Question: How does someone who remember, takes part in fewer activities, have no motivation or interest in things, have continuous low moods and sadness, all of a sudden feel the urge to travel to a golf course, steal a golf cart then start randomly shooting?

Another part of the story reads:

"We got a call about (the golf cart), and a deputy went to investigate it," said Warrick County Sheriff Marvin Heilman. "Apparently, someone at the golf course stole a golf cart and wrecked it against a tree, (and) they found several areas of one of the greens had been damaged by gunshots." On the green, deputies also found erratic tracks from a golf cart and shells from several different guns. All of those guns - a shotgun and three handguns, a .357 Magnum, a 9mm and a .22-caliber - allegedly belonged to the shooter's family, Heilman said. All were purchased legally. "Shortly after (that run), the sheriff's office received a call from St. Mary's, where a subject was being treated for multiple gunshot wounds to his legs," Heilman said. "There is some reason to believe from the investigation that those wounds were self-inflicted." Deputies believe that, as he shot up the green, the suspect also put three shots into his leg, Heilman said. He then made his way home, where his mother drove him to the hospital, officials said. 

There is no mention in the NHS symptoms of depression 'checker' of an impulsive urge to steal golf carts then drive them erratically around a golf course, when that golf course was closed to the public. Furthermore, there is no mention in the NHS symptoms of depression 'checker' that a sign of depression is someone who feels the sudden need to shoot at a green on a golf course.

The 21 year old's mother is also quoted in the article:

She later told investigators her son had been taking medication for depression, which may have contributed to Sunday's incident.

Given that none of the above behavior, apart from self-harm, is included in the NHS checklist could we take it that the medication made the 21 year old carry out these random bizarre acts?



Case # 2

November 4, 2011

A man who stole shopping and milk trolleys has been slapped with a community service order.

Thomas Rainey was found to have a stash of shopping and milk trolleys worth £5,000 at his home in Stockport.

The retired council flagger, 52, denied he had taken the trolleys to sell them for scrap – claiming he used them to help his businesswoman ex-partner transfer goods from warehouses to her three shops.

And he blamed his hoarding behaviour on severe depression and diabetes, a court heard. [3]

Question: How does someone who remember, takes part in fewer activities, have no motivation or interest in things, have continuous low moods and sadness, all of a sudden feel the urge to steal 54 supermarket trolleys and stack them neatly in his backyard?

The newspaper article continues with...

In court, Rainey told the bench that he believed a change in his medication had affected his behaviour. Mrs Parrot added: “I also think his health and mental problems have had some effect on his behaviour."

I find it bizarre that Mrs Parrot would add that his mental health problems, which was 'depression' had some effect on his behaviour particularly when the NHS checklist does not mention random acts of stealing supermarket and milk trolleys... and stacking them neatly at ones home address. Mrs Parrot was Thomas Rainey's defence lawyer.

Given that none of the above behavior is included in the NHS checklist could we take it that the medication made Thomas Rainey carry out these random bizarre acts?


Case # 3

09 September 2009

A MAN who admitted running around the Waterside with an axe has been given a three month jail term suspended for three years.

Gary Keith Millar, 40, pleaded guilty to possessing an offensive weapon on July 19, 2009.

A previous hearing, the court heard that police were called to the Bonds Street area to investigate reports of a man 'running round with an axe in an agitated state.

The 40-year-old went into his brother's house and family members were able to remove the top of the axe and give it to police. [4]

Question: How does someone who remember, takes part in fewer activities, have no motivation or interest in things, have continuous low moods and sadness, all of a sudden feel the urge to run around with an axe?

The article confirms Millar's diagnosis of depression with, "During sentencing at the City’s Magistrate’s Court, defence solicitor Maeliosa Barr said Millar was a “very vulnerable man” and suffered from depression."

Again, I find it bizarre that a defence lawyer would use her client's depression as an excuse particularly as there is no mention of randomly running around a waterside waving an axe in the NHS depression checklist.

The article also states the following:

"He realised that by not taking his medication he got himself into the difficulty he now faces."

I find this striking. Is he suggesting that his illness caused the axe incident, is he blaming the missing of a dose?

Again, running around with an axe is not part of the NHS symptom checker for depression so why would he think his medication was so important?

We all know that missing doses of antidepressant-type medications can cause a whole heap of bizarre patterns of behaviour. Why was this overlooked?

Could we take it that the medication, or sudden withdrawal from it, made Gary Keith Millar run around the waterside waving an axe?

If it can be proven that the above bizarre acts were caused by a reaction to the medication then surely we could go a step further and make claims that people who kill whilst on these medications for depression could also claim that it was a reaction to the medication? There is nothing more bizarre than a depressed person killing someone else, I mean, it's not even listed as a symptom is it?


More case reports coming soon.



Bob Fiddaman.





[1] Clinical depression - Symptoms
[2] Man shoots self in leg at golf course
[3] In the cart: Man from Stockport who stole 54 supermarket trolleys
[4] Waterside man ran around with axe

Under The Influence of Seroxat

A strange case from 2003.

Mark Douglas-Hamilton stood accused of armed robbery and theft and was facing a prison sentence.

Miraculously, just before the trial, all charges were dropped and Douglas-Hamilton walked free.

The Crown Prosecution never gave any reason for the case being dropped but ten years on Mark Douglas-Hamilton is now starting to ask questions regarding the evidence that was the deal breaker.

An expert witness, Dr David Taylor, then working as head of pharmacology at the British psychiatric hospital, Maudsley, had prepared a report for the defence, passed to the CPS, which concluded that the effects of Seroxat could have contributed to his behaviour.

Upon seeing this, it is alleged by Douglas-Hamilton, Crown Prosecution decided to throw the case out.

Furthermore, Douglas-Hamilton, who is now asking questions via his Twitter account, is alleging that lawyers for GlaxoSmithKline approached his defence lawyer who was told to keep his client quiet.

Douglas-Hamilton told me in a private conversation that his medical records seem to have gone missing and he cannot get access to any of the evidence provided in court. His defence lawyer is, according to Douglas-Hamilton, not returning his calls.

Back story:

Two days after stopping Seroxat, Douglas-Hamilton used a pair of wire cutters to hold up a garage in Oxford where he walked away with a packet of cigarettes. A CCTV recording of the event showed his bizarre behaviour, where he joked with customers. Two weeks later, the theatre stage manager stole some CDs from a record shop. Douglas-Hamilton says he committed the acts, but claims his personality and behaviour were completely altered by the withdrawal effects of Seroxat. [Source]

Why did the Crown Prosecution pull the case, up until the point of Dr David Taylor's evidence they must have thought they had a good case, right? CCTV footage, witnesses, they had Douglas-Hamilton bang to rights, as they say. Why was Dr Taylor's evidence deemed so detrimental to the Crown's case, more importantly what was that evidence and why has Douglas-Hamilton never been allowed access to it?

Did GlaxoSmithKline's lawyers really tell Douglas-Hamilton's defence lawyer to tell his client to keep quiet?

Why did the Crown Prosecution offer no explanation as to why they dropped all charges?

Douglas-Hamilton was due to plead not guilty using non-insane automatism as his defence. The defence of non-insane automatism exists where a person commits a crime in circumstances where their actions can be said to be involuntary. A finding of non-insane automatism may also exist where the defendant is not conscious of their actions due to an external factor often as a result of medication. [1]

A spokeswoman for GlaxoSmithKline said, at the time: "Violence and aggression are a feature of anxiety and depression disorders. Seroxat will reduce levels of these, and neither violence or aggression are withdrawal symptoms."

She has to be kidding, right?

A survey carried out by the mental health charity MIND, in collaboration with bbc TV's Panorama, found that 97% of respondents knew of someone who had experienced unwanted or uncomfortable reactions to Seroxat [Paxil]. These included: reduced sexual desire, sleep problems, fatigue, irritability and sweating. One in five reported violent behaviour. Half who had experienced a reaction had feelings of self harm or suicide and more than four out of five experienced withdrawal problems. [2]

Seroxat is known as Paxil in the United States and Canada. Let's just take a look at some of the media reporting of bizarre behaviour whilst on or tapering from Seroxat:

First off, lets take a look at some of the bizarre behaviour of children and adolescents whilst on Seroxat [Paxil]

1996 - 11 Year Old Goes On Robbery & Shooting Spree - Dr. Ann Blake Tracy, director in the International Coalition for Drug Awareness, worked with this young boy's attorney for some time because he was on Paxil at the time of this incident and was obviously having toxic reactions to the drug. This was manifested by the flu-like symptoms he had at school before his parents picked him up and put him into bed at home. Yet another case of someone going to bed just before getting up to act out a dream or nightmare under the influence of these drugs. [Source]

2001 - Young Man Holds Three People Hostage in Duke University President's Office - Paragraph 12 reads:  "Some of the evidence presented Thursday provided a glimpse of Malone's personality. In his day planner were two index cards, one quoting lines from "Macbeth" and another that said, "For evil to prevail, good men have only to do nothing." In the black backpack he carried, which contained a box of 32 bullets, he also had a paperback copy of "The Odyssey," a manila envelope, some toiletries and a bottle of Paxil, a prescription antidepressant." [Source]

2002 - 15 Year Old Girl Kills 6 Year Old Brother - Paragraph 14 reads: "Mr. Schwartz said he thinks his niece, who has a history of criminal behavior including setting fires, may have been suffering an adverse reaction to being taken off the prescription anti-depressant Paxil at the time of the killing". [Source]

2002 - Unusual Personality Change on Paxil Caused 15 Year Old to Set Fires inside High School - Paragraphs 1 reads:  "The lawyer for the 15-year-old Howell High School freshman accused of setting fire to the high school on Monday said the anti-depressant prescription drug Paxil was to blame."

Paragraphs 3 & 4 read: "Plunkett said the boy's parents, who were in Juvenile Court on Thursday for the hearing, took him to a psychiatrist who prescribed the drug less than two weeks before a series of fires tore through the high school, closing classes for two days and causing an estimated $500,000 in damage."

"The drug changed him," Plunkett said. "He indicated it made him feel different." [Source]

2004 - Student Shoots Teacher in Leg at School - Paragraph 11 reads [in part]: "At the time, Romano was taking the anti-depressant medication Paxil and had recently left Four Winds Psychiatric Center in Saratoga Springs." [Source]


Bizarre adult behaviour whilst on Seroxat [Paxil]

2001 - Jury Finds Paxil Was Cause of Murder-Suicide - Donald Schell was taking a Paxil when he killed his wife, daughter and granddaughter, then turned the gun on himself. His son-in-law sued GlaxoSmithKline - and won £5m. [Source]

2002 - 'Santa' who bungled bank robbery says anti-depressant drug made him do it - Next to last paragraph reads: "Chevrier told a sentencing hearing that he committed the offence after he experienced a marked change in character when he took extra doses of Paxil, a commonly prescribed anti-depressant." [Source]

2006 - Not Guilty by Reason of Paxil Induced Insanity - Paragraphs 11 & 12 read: "The argument was bolstered by testimony from three psychiatrists, including the psychiatric research director of the University of South Florida medical school, that Stewart probably knew his actions were wrong but was unable to control them. 

"Family members and a neighbor said Stewart changed significantly after taking Paxil." [Source]

2008 - Father Who Murdered Son Four Years Ago Campaigns Against SSRIs - Paragraphs 1 & 2 read: "He popped his antidepressants like candy and believes Paxil made him kill his son." [Source]

2010 - Famous Singer For Blue October Rock Band Has Strange Episode: Only Drug Involved Is Paxil - Paragraphs two and three read: "During a series of phone interviews, the frontman for the Texas rock band Blue October was asked repeatedly about blacking out in an airplane on the tarmac in Minneapolis."

"Supposedly, I was waving my hands,'  said Furstenfeld, who has no memory of the outburst, "saying I was going to hurt someone and hurt myself'."

Paragraph five reads: "During the episode, he wasn't under the influence of any substance except the prescription antidepressant Paxil, he said." [Source]



There are literally hundreds of stories about bizarre behaviour on Seroxat and other SSRis on the the superb SSRi Stories database.

What bothers me most about these sort of cases is the media tend to miss out on the link between the incident and antidepressant, claiming instead that the person was being treated for some form of mental illness.

I, myself, experienced bizarre behaviour when going cold turkey on Seroxat. It's all been documented in my book, The evidence, however, is clear: the Seroxat scandal. 

Meantime, Marc Douglas-Hamilton continues to push for answers and for those elusive documents from the trial that appear to have vanished into thin air.

Bob Fiddaman.



[1] Defence of Non-Insane Automatism in Criminal Law - e-law
[2] Dark secrets lurking in the drugs cabinet - The Observer 2004