The SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) antidepressant Paxil destroyed my family and career.
On July 31, 2004, three weeks after starting Paxil, I had a psychotic episode and took the life of my 11-year-old son, Ian, in Canada and was charged with first-degree murder. I was judged not criminally responsible (insane) in September 2005 and sent to a forensic mental health centre. I received an absolute discharge in December 2009.
The only catastrophic year in my life was from July 2003 until July 2004 after I started taking Paxil, which I’ve explained in my chronology. The details of my July 2004 homicidal psychotic episode are on pages 13 to 15.
Before I took Ian’s life, I had a successful 20-year career in the physical activity and sport sector, with no history of mental illness. After I was discharged from the mental health centre in 2009, I built a career as a prescription drug safety advocate, which culminated with me developing Know Your Drugs in 2017. I’ve been off psychiatric drugs since September 2010.
In 2024, I merged my two careers and developed Sport for Mental Health as an information portal for coaches who would like to help athletes develop mental skills, which would help prevent the overprescribing of psychiatric drugs.
My focus in 2025 will be on raising public awareness about the legal requirement for doctors to discuss alternative treatment options with patients to obtain informed consent before prescribing a drug. I’ve explained why this rarely happens on the Champions page at Know Your Drugs.
