Sara Carlin had been taking anti-depressant medication for about a year before she committed suicide. Her parents asked for an investigation into what role – if any – her medication might have played in her death.
“A lawyer for Ms. Carlin’s family attempted to draw a strong link between her death and Paxil, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) medication that the young woman had been taking… Over the months after she began taking Paxil, he said, she told friends she was suicidal, wrote a note in which she said she was tired of life and later landed in hospital after a session of drinking and cocaine use.” [Source: The Globe and Mail (Canada)]
A lawyer for the pharmaceutical company, however, pointed to medical records in which doctors stated that Sara’s mood and sleep began to improve as a result of Paxil. The inquiry can’t place blame for Sara’s death, but it can request recommendations – including a requirement that doctors inform patients of possible side-effects associated with Paxil.
Labels: suicide, mental health, antidepressants
Posted By: Stefanie Hamilton