Suicidal Attempts Allegedly Provoked By Paxil Instead Of Treating Depression
Saturday, November 26th, 2011
In August 2011, another case of an antidepressant-related suicide was reported. Wade Belak, a retired 35-year old National Hockey League player, was found lifeless in a Toronto hotel, apparently he committed suicide. Based on an article in the Globe and Mail, his mother admitted that Belak was in a state of depression and was taking antidepressants. Suicides seem to evade an easy explanation. So, the exact reason of Belak’s suicide is almost impossible to determine.
In June 2001, according to Medical Publishing’s Prescription Medicines, Side Effects and Natural Alternatives, a jury in Wyoming determined that an antidepressant drug Paxil caused a man to commit suicide and before doing so, he also murdered his wife, daughter and granddaughter. The family was awarded $8 million in damages.
Considered to be late by Paxil victims, in 2005, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released Public Health Advisories stating that taking antidepressants can provoke suicidal thoughts. The FDA further mandated the drug manufacturers to clearly place explicit label warnings about the antidepressant’s negative side effects especially the risks of suicide attempts.
Depression Leads to Suicide
“Trying to escape from a situation that seemed impossible to deal with or to get relief from really bad thoughts or feelings” is what most patients reason out in the therapy after their suicide attempts. Or in other words, they were in the state of depression.
Depression is ruminated as a brain disorder. The causes of depression could be environmental, psychological, genetic or biochemical factors such as taking drugs and alcohol.
People with depression may feel worthless, guilty, regretful, helpless, hopeless and may hate oneself.Insomnia and oversleeping are also the usual symptoms of depression. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the criteria for depression include fatigue, migraines, digestive problems, social withdrawal, and reduced sex drive.
In extreme depression cases, unpleasant hallucinations, psychosis, memory loss, poor concentration and suicide are among the symptoms.
Suicide is now an object of multidisciplinary scientific study with sociology, anthropology, psychology, and psychiatry. Suicide insights are provided by these branches.
Then treatment for depression includes antidepressants intake and talk therapy. Most patients do both. However, according to various clinical studies and researches, antidepressants like Paxil increases the risk of suicide instead of treating depression. As mentioned above, the FDA has already released different cautions regarding Paxil intake.
Hence, if you have been taking Paxil or you may know someone who does, immediately report to your physician if you have doubts about its effect on you. At present, its manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline is now facing a number of Paxil Lawsuit. Patients who have been victimized intend to receive a compensation from the company. Seek legal advice to find out more about Paxil lawsuits.
References:
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_depressive_disorder
- nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/depression.html
- webmd.com/depression/news/20070502/new-antidepressant-suicide-warning
- mcmanweb.com/FDA_suicide.htm
- washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/13/AR2006121300452.html
- naturalnews.com/019342.html
