The SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) antidepressant Paxil destroyed my family.
On July 31, 2004, shortly after I started taking Paxil, I had a psychotic episode and planned then calmly took the life of my 11-year-old son, Ian, in London, Canada and was charged with first-degree murder. I was judged not criminally responsible (insane) in September 2005 and sent to a mental health centre (forensic psychiatric hospital). I received an absolute discharge in December 2009 and have been off psychiatric drugs since September 2010.
Before July 2004, after graduating in 1985 with a masters degree in physical education with a specialization in the physiology and psychology of coaching from York University in Toronto, Canada, I had a successful career in the physical activity and sport sector, with no history of mental illness. My career included developing a multiskill development program for children called Sportability from 1986 to 1990. I was high performance director at the Ontario Amateur Wrestling Association from 1988 to 1991, director of research and development at the Ontario Physical and Health Education Association from 1989 to 1998 and director of national projects at ParticipACTION from 1998 to 2001. My major focus at ParticipACTION was to develop youth sport programs that could be used as treatment interventions for addictions to alcohol and illicit drugs.
After I was discharged from the mental health centre in 2009, I built a career as a prescription drug safety advocate. I was media relations officer at RxISK.org from 2012 to 2014 and executive director at People’s Right to Integrative Medicine in 2014 and 2015. I developed Know Your Drugs in 2017.
In 2011, I filed a lawsuit against GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), the manufacturer of Paxil, claiming that they fraudulently concealed clinical trial data about suicidal and homicidal side effects, which prevented me from making an informed choice about use. My lawsuit was ultimately dismissed in 2021 by the Supreme Court of Canada based on a statute of limitations argument by GSK, so I was not able to put Paxil on Trial.
All of this is explained in my chronology.
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 build their self-esteem and develop mental skills, which would help prevent the overprescribing of psychiatric drugs.
Here are a few television interviews that I had in the 1990s that support the concept of Sport for Mental Health:
- CBC Newsworld Coast to Coast, 1993 (10:51)
- TSN Inside Sports, 1994 (16:51)
- TVO, 1996 (6:20)
- Canadian Living Television, 1998 (3:35)
I’m currently delivering the 15-minute talk DEMAND INFORMED CONSENT: It’s Your Legal Right to groups of any size on their online meeting platform. The talk will raise public awareness about the legal requirement for doctors to discuss alternative treatment options with patients before prescribing a drug to obtain informed consent. Some of the reasons why this rarely happens are explained on the Champions for Change page at Know Your Drugs.
