Tuesday 31 July 2012
Saturday 28 July 2012
Creane - mother delivers passionate funeral eulogy ...could FIDDAMAN learn from this?
IN A CHURCH overflowing with young people for the funeral Mass of Sebastian Creane (22), the student stabbed to death in his Bray home, his mother Nuala Creane asked mourners to rise above fear, blame and anger, to cast out negativity and to honour her son’s life by “co-creating the most enlightened lives you can”.
http://irishtimes.newspaperdirect.com/epaper/viewer.aspx
In a composed, powerful and passionate eulogy at the Church of the Most Holy Redeemer, Bray, Co Wicklow, with her surviving son, Dylan, standing supportively behind her, Ms Creane explained how she had tried to rationalise “this incomprehensible act which took place in our home . . . this tragic incident which caused mayhem in all our lives and robbed D [Dylan] of a younger brother he was so proud of”.
Dylan, Sebastian and their friends Jennifer Hannigan and Laura Mackey had “faced a presence of demonic proportions that manifested through Shane Clancy”. Two boys died that morning when Clancy stabbed Sebastian to death and left Dylan and Jennifer – Clancy’s former girlfriend – severely wounded before taking his own life.
She noted the similarities between them. They were both 22; both had the same initials; both were entering their final year in college and looked set, even in these recessionary times, to have fruitful careers. “So many similarities. Yet on the morning of August 16th, my God of Small Things said to me, one boy represented the light, the other the darkness, as they both played their parts in the unfolding of God’s divine plan. And as a result, we – my beloved J [her husband James] and I – and all of you are faced with a choice. Do we continue in darkness, seeing only fear, anger, bitterness, resentment, blaming, bemoaning our loss, always looking backwards, blaming, blaming, blaming,” she asked passionately, “or are we ready to transmute this negativity? We can rise to the challenge with unconditional love, knowing that we were born on to this earth to grow.”
She also called on those present to support Jennifer Hannigan, asking them first to fill their hearts with memories of a happy moment in their lives and then to “bring your attention to Jen”. “She blames herself. Bathe her heart in that happiness and then forgive yourselves. The light that shone in Seb shines in you also, in its own special way. Let it shine and be at peace.”
Sebastian Creane was later taken to Leigue Cemetery in Ballina, Co Mayo, for burial after a service in St Muredach’s Cathedral on the banks of the River Moy. 10am Mass began – heralded by Bridge over Troubled Water sung by Tommy Fleming and accompanied by Phil Coulter – many of Sebastian’s old friends from St Gerard’s, Bray, and from college in Dún Laoghaire, huddled in the porch around the scrapbook of memories, tributes and photographs they would later present as offertory gifts.
The offerings also included a guitar – “a symbol of his love of music, one of the many bonds between him and [his brother] Dylan”; a camera; and – symbols of the “fun times” – a Nintendo console and a collection of photographs, including one of Sebastian sky-diving with his mother, Nuala.
Phil Coulter followed these with his own offertory gift – a specially composed, sweet piano lament.
Later six of Sebastian’s friends walked to the lectern to offer prayers for the faithful, thanking God for their friend’s creativity, for his “contagious enthusiasm”, for his willingness to take time out for those around him, for his music, skateboarding and photographs; they honoured his brother Dylan’s courage “in coming to the aid of Sebastian”.
Fr MacHale added a prayer for the family of Shane Clancy, making a brief reference to that time “when beauty disappears and only the demonic takes over”.
In his homily, Fr MacHale referred to Sebastian’s parents, James and Nuala, as people who summed up “very vividly” the depth of the psalm The Lord is my Shepherd.
“On Thursday, James said ‘It’s like I’m in a tsunami but I’m okay’. And then here on Saturday, as we prepared this liturgy . . . Nuala said ‘I grieve, I don’t suffer, I don’t believe we’re sent here to suffer.’”
Fr MacHale described Sebastian’s love of music as his act of thanksgiving and quoted from the writings of the poet and philosopher John O’Donohue:
“Though your days here were brief,/ Your spirit was alive, awake, complete:/ Now you dwell inside the rhythm of breath,/ As close to us as we are to ourselves.”
Sebastian’s music lives on from inside that rhythm of life and binds him to his parents, to Dylan, Laura and Jen and all his friends, Fr MacHale said, quoting another John O’Donohue prayer:
“Let us not look for you only in memory/ Where we would grow lonely without you,/ You would want us to find you in presence.”
One of Sebastian’s closest friends, Daragh Coulter, read from the Book of Wisdom: “Length of days is not what makes age honourable, nor number of years the true measure of life . . . They have been carried off so that evil may not warp their understanding or treachery seduce their souls; for the fascination of evil throws good things into the shade, and the whirlwind of desire corrupts a simple heart.”
The second reading from St Paul urged its listeners to “fill your minds with those things that are good and deserve praise, things that are true, noble, right, pure and lovely and honourable”.
At Communion, Something Inside so Strong, the Labi Siffre song written about Nelson Mandela and apartheid, was sung by Tommy Fleming, followed by a recording of Neil Hannon’s Songs of Love, during which tears fell freely:
“So while you have time/ Let the sun shine down from above/ And fill you with songs of love.”
At that point, Nuala Creane, accompanied by her surviving son Dylan, who was also severely injured in the incident, rose to deliver a eulogy rich in faith and encouragement, much of it clearly directed at the many young people in the church.
“The light that shone in Seb shines in you also, in its own special way. Let it shine and be at peace,” she said.
To the strains of Phil Coulter and Tommy Fleming singing Steal Away, the coffin was borne from the church and from there to Sebastian’s final resting place at Leigue Cemetery in his parents’ native Ballina, Co Mayo.
http://irishtimes.newspaperdirect.com/epaper/viewer.aspx
In a composed, powerful and passionate eulogy at the Church of the Most Holy Redeemer, Bray, Co Wicklow, with her surviving son, Dylan, standing supportively behind her, Ms Creane explained how she had tried to rationalise “this incomprehensible act which took place in our home . . . this tragic incident which caused mayhem in all our lives and robbed D [Dylan] of a younger brother he was so proud of”.
Dylan, Sebastian and their friends Jennifer Hannigan and Laura Mackey had “faced a presence of demonic proportions that manifested through Shane Clancy”. Two boys died that morning when Clancy stabbed Sebastian to death and left Dylan and Jennifer – Clancy’s former girlfriend – severely wounded before taking his own life.
She noted the similarities between them. They were both 22; both had the same initials; both were entering their final year in college and looked set, even in these recessionary times, to have fruitful careers. “So many similarities. Yet on the morning of August 16th, my God of Small Things said to me, one boy represented the light, the other the darkness, as they both played their parts in the unfolding of God’s divine plan. And as a result, we – my beloved J [her husband James] and I – and all of you are faced with a choice. Do we continue in darkness, seeing only fear, anger, bitterness, resentment, blaming, bemoaning our loss, always looking backwards, blaming, blaming, blaming,” she asked passionately, “or are we ready to transmute this negativity? We can rise to the challenge with unconditional love, knowing that we were born on to this earth to grow.”
She also called on those present to support Jennifer Hannigan, asking them first to fill their hearts with memories of a happy moment in their lives and then to “bring your attention to Jen”. “She blames herself. Bathe her heart in that happiness and then forgive yourselves. The light that shone in Seb shines in you also, in its own special way. Let it shine and be at peace.”
Sebastian Creane was later taken to Leigue Cemetery in Ballina, Co Mayo, for burial after a service in St Muredach’s Cathedral on the banks of the River Moy. 10am Mass began – heralded by Bridge over Troubled Water sung by Tommy Fleming and accompanied by Phil Coulter – many of Sebastian’s old friends from St Gerard’s, Bray, and from college in Dún Laoghaire, huddled in the porch around the scrapbook of memories, tributes and photographs they would later present as offertory gifts.
The offerings also included a guitar – “a symbol of his love of music, one of the many bonds between him and [his brother] Dylan”; a camera; and – symbols of the “fun times” – a Nintendo console and a collection of photographs, including one of Sebastian sky-diving with his mother, Nuala.
Phil Coulter followed these with his own offertory gift – a specially composed, sweet piano lament.
Later six of Sebastian’s friends walked to the lectern to offer prayers for the faithful, thanking God for their friend’s creativity, for his “contagious enthusiasm”, for his willingness to take time out for those around him, for his music, skateboarding and photographs; they honoured his brother Dylan’s courage “in coming to the aid of Sebastian”.
Fr MacHale added a prayer for the family of Shane Clancy, making a brief reference to that time “when beauty disappears and only the demonic takes over”.
In his homily, Fr MacHale referred to Sebastian’s parents, James and Nuala, as people who summed up “very vividly” the depth of the psalm The Lord is my Shepherd.
“On Thursday, James said ‘It’s like I’m in a tsunami but I’m okay’. And then here on Saturday, as we prepared this liturgy . . . Nuala said ‘I grieve, I don’t suffer, I don’t believe we’re sent here to suffer.’”
Fr MacHale described Sebastian’s love of music as his act of thanksgiving and quoted from the writings of the poet and philosopher John O’Donohue:
“Though your days here were brief,/ Your spirit was alive, awake, complete:/ Now you dwell inside the rhythm of breath,/ As close to us as we are to ourselves.”
Sebastian’s music lives on from inside that rhythm of life and binds him to his parents, to Dylan, Laura and Jen and all his friends, Fr MacHale said, quoting another John O’Donohue prayer:
“Let us not look for you only in memory/ Where we would grow lonely without you,/ You would want us to find you in presence.”
One of Sebastian’s closest friends, Daragh Coulter, read from the Book of Wisdom: “Length of days is not what makes age honourable, nor number of years the true measure of life . . . They have been carried off so that evil may not warp their understanding or treachery seduce their souls; for the fascination of evil throws good things into the shade, and the whirlwind of desire corrupts a simple heart.”
The second reading from St Paul urged its listeners to “fill your minds with those things that are good and deserve praise, things that are true, noble, right, pure and lovely and honourable”.
At Communion, Something Inside so Strong, the Labi Siffre song written about Nelson Mandela and apartheid, was sung by Tommy Fleming, followed by a recording of Neil Hannon’s Songs of Love, during which tears fell freely:
“So while you have time/ Let the sun shine down from above/ And fill you with songs of love.”
At that point, Nuala Creane, accompanied by her surviving son Dylan, who was also severely injured in the incident, rose to deliver a eulogy rich in faith and encouragement, much of it clearly directed at the many young people in the church.
“The light that shone in Seb shines in you also, in its own special way. Let it shine and be at peace,” she said.
To the strains of Phil Coulter and Tommy Fleming singing Steal Away, the coffin was borne from the church and from there to Sebastian’s final resting place at Leigue Cemetery in his parents’ native Ballina, Co Mayo.
Thursday 26 July 2012
1991 SCIENTOLOGY spent $ millions on anti PROZAC advertising ....see FIDDAMAN blog archive
Scientologists Take Aim At Drug Prozac
July 8, 1991
By MICHAEL TACKETT, Chicago Tribune
When Joseph Wesbecker stormed a printing plant in Louisville, Ky., nearly two years ago, killing eight people and himself with an AK-47 rifle, he unwittingly fired the first shots in another kind of assault.
A coroner`s examination revealed that Wesbecker had been taking a prescription anti-depressant drug called Prozac.
The disclosure did not generate much public concern. Wesbecker`s doctor had asked him to enter a hospital and to stop taking Prozac, speculating that it might have aggravated his unstable condition.
But there was little reason to think that Prozac, made by Eli Lilly & Co., was harmful. In fact, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and numerous medical experts said it was safe. About 4 million people take the product worldwide.
For the Church of Scientology, however, the shootings rang out a different message. Long an ardent opponent of psychiatric drugs, the church was particularly opposed to Prozac, a runaway sales success and the first innovation in psychiatric drugs in many years.
Wesbecker`s attack was the foundation for a blistering assault launched by the church on Lilly and those who had anything good to say about the drug.
At first, the church provided information to people seeking to sue Lilly over the drug`s effects. Church leaders also hit the talk show circuit and fee-based public relations wire services.
Its 20-month campaign rose to unprecedented levels soon after Time magazine ran a highly critical cover story about the church in early May. The church`s theory, denied by Lilly and Time, was that Lilly planted the story.
The church bought full-page advertisements in USA Today for two weeks, one week to attack Lilly, the other to attack Time. They were followed by a series of ads last month to promote Scientology. Each series was followed by a glossy booklet insert, one decrying Time and Lilly, the other lauding church founder L. Ron Hubbard and Scientology.
Lilly executives, who at first ignored the Scientology campaign, now express shock at its ferocity and effectiveness. ``Take the nastiest negative campaign in politics you have ever seen and cube it,`` said Mitchell Daniels, Lilly`s vice president for corporate affairs and former political director in the Reagan White House.
``A strong case can be made that we should have confronted this from the beginning,`` Daniels said. But ``the real question is, why did they go nuclear?``
The overall campaign, which cost more than $2 million, seems to have been brutally effective. Lilly`s Prozac sales have dropped in the United States, and so has its market share.
Heber Jentzsch, president of the Church of Scientology, responded: ``They have a multibillion-dollar killer drug on the market, and they want to keep it no matter how many people die on it.`` Jentzsch said the church believed it ``couldn`t trust the media to get it right`` about its opposition to Lilly and Prozac, so it used ``advocacy advertising`` to make its point.
Lilly, a multibillion-dollar corporation that has been in the pharmaceutical business for more than a century, invested nearly $250 million in its quest to make Prozac a safe drug approved by federal regulators. Prozac, introduced in early 1988, produced sales of more than $770 million in 1990.
Dr. John Csernansky, a psychiatrist and professor at Washington University in St. Louis, has prescribed Prozac for several patients. Because of the ads, he said, some of his patients are now afraid to take the drug.
``They interpret these newspaper reports as saying these are ordinary people taking Prozac who become raving maniacs, and these are a complete misrepresentation,`` Csernansky said.
``Suicide is a common, tragic complication of depression. Effective anti- depressants reduce that number (of suicides); they don`t increase them.``
Before the Scientology campaign, analysts said sales might reach $1 billion this year.
For its part, the church opposes the drug because of the longstanding contempt for psychiatry infused into the creed of Scientology by Hubbard, who died in 1986.
The late science fiction writer and philosopher`s best-known work, which describes Scientology`s philosophy, is the book Dianetics. Scientologists consider psychiatric drugs destructive, and part of their doctrine is to show no mercy toward an enemy.
But the fight also exposes a dark side of the information era. Well- financed groups such as the Scientologists can buy advertising and televised air time to send information instantly and uncritically around the world. The mere existence and power of such a campaign can overshadow the accuracy of its charges.
Lilly`s approach had been to communicate with its customers, most of them physicians, about Prozac`s safety, but Scientology`s campaign was directed at patients.
Since being introduced into the U.S. market in early 1988, Prozac -- Newsweek called it a ``miracle drug`` in a cover story -- has been the engine driving Lilly`s record profitability. Now, some analysts say, it will never regain its overwhelming popularity. ``Prozac will never again regain the sales growth it had before the Scientologists hit,`` one said.
Lilly has had problems with other drugs. The company pleaded guilty to 25 misdemeanor charges for failing to report to the FDA deaths and illnesses of patients who took its anti-arthritis drug Oraflex.
It also sold, along with other companies, DES, a drug criticized as triggering cancer in women taking it to prevent miscarriage.
July 8, 1991
By MICHAEL TACKETT, Chicago Tribune
When Joseph Wesbecker stormed a printing plant in Louisville, Ky., nearly two years ago, killing eight people and himself with an AK-47 rifle, he unwittingly fired the first shots in another kind of assault.
A coroner`s examination revealed that Wesbecker had been taking a prescription anti-depressant drug called Prozac.
The disclosure did not generate much public concern. Wesbecker`s doctor had asked him to enter a hospital and to stop taking Prozac, speculating that it might have aggravated his unstable condition.
But there was little reason to think that Prozac, made by Eli Lilly & Co., was harmful. In fact, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and numerous medical experts said it was safe. About 4 million people take the product worldwide.
For the Church of Scientology, however, the shootings rang out a different message. Long an ardent opponent of psychiatric drugs, the church was particularly opposed to Prozac, a runaway sales success and the first innovation in psychiatric drugs in many years.
Wesbecker`s attack was the foundation for a blistering assault launched by the church on Lilly and those who had anything good to say about the drug.
At first, the church provided information to people seeking to sue Lilly over the drug`s effects. Church leaders also hit the talk show circuit and fee-based public relations wire services.
Its 20-month campaign rose to unprecedented levels soon after Time magazine ran a highly critical cover story about the church in early May. The church`s theory, denied by Lilly and Time, was that Lilly planted the story.
The church bought full-page advertisements in USA Today for two weeks, one week to attack Lilly, the other to attack Time. They were followed by a series of ads last month to promote Scientology. Each series was followed by a glossy booklet insert, one decrying Time and Lilly, the other lauding church founder L. Ron Hubbard and Scientology.
Lilly executives, who at first ignored the Scientology campaign, now express shock at its ferocity and effectiveness. ``Take the nastiest negative campaign in politics you have ever seen and cube it,`` said Mitchell Daniels, Lilly`s vice president for corporate affairs and former political director in the Reagan White House.
``A strong case can be made that we should have confronted this from the beginning,`` Daniels said. But ``the real question is, why did they go nuclear?``
The overall campaign, which cost more than $2 million, seems to have been brutally effective. Lilly`s Prozac sales have dropped in the United States, and so has its market share.
Heber Jentzsch, president of the Church of Scientology, responded: ``They have a multibillion-dollar killer drug on the market, and they want to keep it no matter how many people die on it.`` Jentzsch said the church believed it ``couldn`t trust the media to get it right`` about its opposition to Lilly and Prozac, so it used ``advocacy advertising`` to make its point.
Lilly, a multibillion-dollar corporation that has been in the pharmaceutical business for more than a century, invested nearly $250 million in its quest to make Prozac a safe drug approved by federal regulators. Prozac, introduced in early 1988, produced sales of more than $770 million in 1990.
Dr. John Csernansky, a psychiatrist and professor at Washington University in St. Louis, has prescribed Prozac for several patients. Because of the ads, he said, some of his patients are now afraid to take the drug.
``They interpret these newspaper reports as saying these are ordinary people taking Prozac who become raving maniacs, and these are a complete misrepresentation,`` Csernansky said.
``Suicide is a common, tragic complication of depression. Effective anti- depressants reduce that number (of suicides); they don`t increase them.``
Before the Scientology campaign, analysts said sales might reach $1 billion this year.
For its part, the church opposes the drug because of the longstanding contempt for psychiatry infused into the creed of Scientology by Hubbard, who died in 1986.
The late science fiction writer and philosopher`s best-known work, which describes Scientology`s philosophy, is the book Dianetics. Scientologists consider psychiatric drugs destructive, and part of their doctrine is to show no mercy toward an enemy.
But the fight also exposes a dark side of the information era. Well- financed groups such as the Scientologists can buy advertising and televised air time to send information instantly and uncritically around the world. The mere existence and power of such a campaign can overshadow the accuracy of its charges.
Lilly`s approach had been to communicate with its customers, most of them physicians, about Prozac`s safety, but Scientology`s campaign was directed at patients.
Since being introduced into the U.S. market in early 1988, Prozac -- Newsweek called it a ``miracle drug`` in a cover story -- has been the engine driving Lilly`s record profitability. Now, some analysts say, it will never regain its overwhelming popularity. ``Prozac will never again regain the sales growth it had before the Scientologists hit,`` one said.
Lilly has had problems with other drugs. The company pleaded guilty to 25 misdemeanor charges for failing to report to the FDA deaths and illnesses of patients who took its anti-arthritis drug Oraflex.
It also sold, along with other companies, DES, a drug criticized as triggering cancer in women taking it to prevent miscarriage.
SCIENTOLOGY Prozac scare stories for over 20 years ...how could they become more convincing - FIDDAMAN blog?
Scientology's Prozac Scare Campaign
Dallas Operation Fronts for Church
Under Guise of Consumer Rights
By Mike Sullivan
One of the International Church of Scientology's most visible front groups is the Citizen's Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), which has been in business for over 20 years trying to recruit new members into the cult and turn public opinion against conventional psychiatry. In the past few years, the Church has mounted a huge campaign to discredit the safety of the prescription drug Prozac.
CCHR advertises on cable TV channels in Dallas under the pseudonym "Psychiatric Abuse Line", urging people to call for information on Prozac. CCHR hopes to attract depressed individuals to Scientology's bizarre "therapy" after frightening them with stories about an alleged link between Prozac and suicides.
This is in line with the Church's view that conventional medicine in general and psychiatry in particular is evil and unnecessary once one achieves "clear", the Church's euphemism for total understanding of the Dianetics training.
Prozac, a brand of fluoxetine hydrochloride developed and marketed by pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly & Company, is widely prescribed to treat severe depression. So far, the Church tactics have not resulted in decreased sales of the drug, but Lilly executives and top government medical officials are disturbed and frustrated by the misinformation campaign spearheaded by the Church.
In an April 19, 1991 Wall Street Journal article, staff reporter Thomas Burton told how Lilly introduced Prozac in 1988 after nearly 20 years of development, and how it quickly became the market leader. With 1990 sales of $777 million, Prozac is one of Lilly's top products, second in sales to the antibiotic Ceclor.
Burton also reported:
How the Church's misinformation about a man who killed 12 co-workers and himself in Louisville in 1989 and the alleged link to Prozac has scared hundred of depressed patient off the drug against the orders of their doctors.
A Harvard psychiatry professor says the Church's campaign has caused a potentially serious public health problem.
How the Church twists the facts reported in a Harvard medical school study to extrapolate that 14,000 Americans are suicidal as a result of Prozac; the study's author says the Church's use of his work is "absolutely irresponsible" and that he considers the proper use of Prozac safe and effective.
More than 3.5 million people are using Prozac safely and with great benefit.
The U.S. government's top psychiatrist called Prozac "a miracle, the first medication to rescue them from the living hell we call depression."
How a former Church minister says that Scientology is out to derail psychiatry and drug companies as a way to gain more followers for their Dianetics training.
According to John Blamphin, director of public affairs for the 37,000-member American Psychiatric Association in Washington, D.C., Prozac has been proven effective in treating severe depression, with over 3 million prescriptions written worldwide since its introduction.
In a telephone interview for this article on June 6, Blamphin said the suicide rate for severely depressed individuals is one in six, whether or not medications are used. "Like all drugs," Blamphin said, "Prozac isn't 100 percent effective. No drug is. But I would be more surprised to find that no one who ever used Prozac had committed suicide."
Blamphin says that many APA member doctors contacted the organization after Prozac was given what he says was a very one-sided treatment by CCHR officials on the Donohue TV show. Blamphin says that APA tried to get a representative on the show to provide some balance, but the show's producer turned them down.
Self-Fulfilling Prophesy
Blamphin said that patients with severe depression are likely to do almost anything, even when being treated with medications. He said that he knew of at least one case of a patient, concerned about the unfounded Prozac allegations, who discontinued using the drug and later committed suicide. In this way, Blamphin said, the Scientology campaign could probably result in a self-fulfilling prophesy.
"We have no statement on Scientology. They can say or do anything they wish, as long as it doesn't hurt anyone," Blamphin said. "What we are concerned with is when any organization makes statements or does things that scare people into discontinuing medication that is prescribed by their doctor. Prozac is a beneficial drug. It simply gives the doctor another tool to use."
Dallas Operation Fronts for Church
Under Guise of Consumer Rights
By Mike Sullivan
One of the International Church of Scientology's most visible front groups is the Citizen's Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), which has been in business for over 20 years trying to recruit new members into the cult and turn public opinion against conventional psychiatry. In the past few years, the Church has mounted a huge campaign to discredit the safety of the prescription drug Prozac.
CCHR advertises on cable TV channels in Dallas under the pseudonym "Psychiatric Abuse Line", urging people to call for information on Prozac. CCHR hopes to attract depressed individuals to Scientology's bizarre "therapy" after frightening them with stories about an alleged link between Prozac and suicides.
This is in line with the Church's view that conventional medicine in general and psychiatry in particular is evil and unnecessary once one achieves "clear", the Church's euphemism for total understanding of the Dianetics training.
Prozac, a brand of fluoxetine hydrochloride developed and marketed by pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly & Company, is widely prescribed to treat severe depression. So far, the Church tactics have not resulted in decreased sales of the drug, but Lilly executives and top government medical officials are disturbed and frustrated by the misinformation campaign spearheaded by the Church.
In an April 19, 1991 Wall Street Journal article, staff reporter Thomas Burton told how Lilly introduced Prozac in 1988 after nearly 20 years of development, and how it quickly became the market leader. With 1990 sales of $777 million, Prozac is one of Lilly's top products, second in sales to the antibiotic Ceclor.
Burton also reported:
How the Church's misinformation about a man who killed 12 co-workers and himself in Louisville in 1989 and the alleged link to Prozac has scared hundred of depressed patient off the drug against the orders of their doctors.
A Harvard psychiatry professor says the Church's campaign has caused a potentially serious public health problem.
How the Church twists the facts reported in a Harvard medical school study to extrapolate that 14,000 Americans are suicidal as a result of Prozac; the study's author says the Church's use of his work is "absolutely irresponsible" and that he considers the proper use of Prozac safe and effective.
More than 3.5 million people are using Prozac safely and with great benefit.
The U.S. government's top psychiatrist called Prozac "a miracle, the first medication to rescue them from the living hell we call depression."
How a former Church minister says that Scientology is out to derail psychiatry and drug companies as a way to gain more followers for their Dianetics training.
According to John Blamphin, director of public affairs for the 37,000-member American Psychiatric Association in Washington, D.C., Prozac has been proven effective in treating severe depression, with over 3 million prescriptions written worldwide since its introduction.
In a telephone interview for this article on June 6, Blamphin said the suicide rate for severely depressed individuals is one in six, whether or not medications are used. "Like all drugs," Blamphin said, "Prozac isn't 100 percent effective. No drug is. But I would be more surprised to find that no one who ever used Prozac had committed suicide."
Blamphin says that many APA member doctors contacted the organization after Prozac was given what he says was a very one-sided treatment by CCHR officials on the Donohue TV show. Blamphin says that APA tried to get a representative on the show to provide some balance, but the show's producer turned them down.
Self-Fulfilling Prophesy
Blamphin said that patients with severe depression are likely to do almost anything, even when being treated with medications. He said that he knew of at least one case of a patient, concerned about the unfounded Prozac allegations, who discontinued using the drug and later committed suicide. In this way, Blamphin said, the Scientology campaign could probably result in a self-fulfilling prophesy.
"We have no statement on Scientology. They can say or do anything they wish, as long as it doesn't hurt anyone," Blamphin said. "What we are concerned with is when any organization makes statements or does things that scare people into discontinuing medication that is prescribed by their doctor. Prozac is a beneficial drug. It simply gives the doctor another tool to use."
could Prozac have caused teen on teen attack ...SCIENTOLOGY have claimed this for 20 years !
Teenager's girlfriend attack blamed on antidepressant side effects
A teenager who attacked his girlfriend at school may have lost control because of the medication he had been prescribed, Perth Sheriff Court has heard.
http://www.thecourier.co.uk/News/Perthshire/article/24140/teenager-s-girlfriend-attack-blamed-on-antidepressant-side-effects.html
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Published in the Courier : 26.07.12
Published online : 26.07.12 @ 01.36pm
Send link At the time of the assault, Jack Brooks had been taking fluoxetine as part of efforts to combat mental health difficulties.
The 18-year-old's solicitor, Erica Watson, revealed that the side effects of the antidepressant include hallucinations and agitation.
She added that her client had ''no recollection'' of the attack, which took place in a library at Breadalbane Community Campus in Aberfeldy where the couple were both students.
On Wednesday, Brooks was ordered to pay his victim £300 compensation and was placed on a community payback order for a year.
The court heard how the incident was sparked by the complainer, who was 17 at the time, ending their relationship due to an apparent change in Brooks' behaviour towards her.
The pair had no further contact that day until 2.50pm when they both had a free period. At this point, the accused made efforts to reconcile with his ex-girlfriend and when she refused to change her mind he ''lost control''.
Brooks, of Amulree, punched the girl on the left side of her head with such force that it caused her to stumble backwards against a fire exit door. The impact caused the door to open and the complainer fell through it onto the ground outside, hitting her head.
As his victim was lying down, Brooks kicked her on the head, shouting that she had ''ruined his life'' before grabbing her by the hair, pulling some out.
Ms Watson told the court that the incident had been described by a number of teachers as ''completely out of character'' and that since then her client had stopped taking fluoxetine.
She also revealed that he will not be able to take up his place at university because he was unable to return to school.
Brooks admitted that on December 6 last year he assaulted a girl by repeatedly kicking her on the head, grabbing her and pulling her by the hair, causing some to fall out.
Sheriff Michael Fletcher advised the teenager that he had narrowly avoided a custodial sentence due to the nature of the assault
A teenager who attacked his girlfriend at school may have lost control because of the medication he had been prescribed, Perth Sheriff Court has heard.
http://www.thecourier.co.uk/News/Perthshire/article/24140/teenager-s-girlfriend-attack-blamed-on-antidepressant-side-effects.html
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Published in the Courier : 26.07.12
Published online : 26.07.12 @ 01.36pm
Send link At the time of the assault, Jack Brooks had been taking fluoxetine as part of efforts to combat mental health difficulties.
The 18-year-old's solicitor, Erica Watson, revealed that the side effects of the antidepressant include hallucinations and agitation.
She added that her client had ''no recollection'' of the attack, which took place in a library at Breadalbane Community Campus in Aberfeldy where the couple were both students.
On Wednesday, Brooks was ordered to pay his victim £300 compensation and was placed on a community payback order for a year.
The court heard how the incident was sparked by the complainer, who was 17 at the time, ending their relationship due to an apparent change in Brooks' behaviour towards her.
The pair had no further contact that day until 2.50pm when they both had a free period. At this point, the accused made efforts to reconcile with his ex-girlfriend and when she refused to change her mind he ''lost control''.
Brooks, of Amulree, punched the girl on the left side of her head with such force that it caused her to stumble backwards against a fire exit door. The impact caused the door to open and the complainer fell through it onto the ground outside, hitting her head.
As his victim was lying down, Brooks kicked her on the head, shouting that she had ''ruined his life'' before grabbing her by the hair, pulling some out.
Ms Watson told the court that the incident had been described by a number of teachers as ''completely out of character'' and that since then her client had stopped taking fluoxetine.
She also revealed that he will not be able to take up his place at university because he was unable to return to school.
Brooks admitted that on December 6 last year he assaulted a girl by repeatedly kicking her on the head, grabbing her and pulling her by the hair, causing some to fall out.
Sheriff Michael Fletcher advised the teenager that he had narrowly avoided a custodial sentence due to the nature of the assault
SSRI news - could ZOLOFT sertraline Fight Fungal Meningitis - see FIDDAMAN blog for details
POWERFUL PILL: Texas A&M Biologists Prove ZOLOFT Packs Potential to Fight Fungal Meningitis
COLLEGE STATION -- New research conducted by biologists at Texas A&M University suggests that ZOLOFT®, one of the most widely prescribed antidepressants in the world, also packs a potential preventative bonus -- potent mechanisms capable of inhibiting deadly fungal infections.
http://www.science.tamu.edu/articles/915/
The findings are the result of a two-year investigation by Xiaorong Lin, assistant professor of biology, and Matthew S. Sachs, professor of biology, involving sertraline hydrocholoride (ZOLOFT) and its effects on Cryptococcus neoformans, the major causative agent of fungal meningitis -- specifically, cryptococcal meningitis, which claims more than half a million lives worldwide each year, according to a 2009 Center for Disease Control (CDC) report.
Their research, funded with grants from the American Heart Association (AHA), the Norman Hackerman Advanced Research Program, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is published in the June issue of the American Society of Microbiology journal Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. Their research team includes Ph.D. candidate Bing Zhai and postdoctoral fellows Cheng Wu and Linqi Wang.
"The point here is that if there is a drug that already exists, is known to be well-tolerated, and has alternative uses, that's a good thing," Sachs says. "The billion dollars it would take to bring a drug to the market -- that's already done."
C. neoformans is a potentially dangerous fungal pathogen found in many soils throughout the world that may cause systemic infections, particularly involving the central nervous system. In most cases, the microscopic, airborne fungal cells of C. neoformans cause asymptomatic colonization in the lungs. However, Lin says the fungus is particularly aggressive in people with weakened immune systems and can spread to other parts of the body, such as the brain and spinal cord, resulting in cryptococcal meningitis -- a condition that, in absence of treatment, is fatal.
Lin participated in a previous study to screen a collection of FDA-approved drugs in a John Hopkins Clinical Compound Library to determine if any contained fungicidal agents. Although sertraline was shown to only moderately inhibit the effects of common fungal strains like Aspergillus nidulans, a genus of common mold often found on spoiled food, and Candida, a genus of yeast often associated with mammals, sertraline was found to be particularly effective against C. neoformans.
A follow-up investigation of sertraline in a mouse model of systemic cryptococcosis revealed that it combats infection similar to fluconazole, an antifungal drug used commonly since the early 1990s. Moreover, a drug combination of sertraline and fluconazole was found to work more efficiently than either drug alone.
Lin says that even though the infection ultimately proved fatal in the mice study, sertraline as a cryptoccol treatment still holds promise. Because sertraline reduced the overall fungal burden within the mice and also possesses the desirable ability to cross the blood-brain barrier as an antidepressant, there is still hope it can be altered to serve as a viable treatment option.
"The problem for many current antifungal drugs is that many cannot go to the brain, and it's very difficult for a lot of compounds to reach the brain in the first place," Lin says. "So, you run into the problem of not killing all the fungus or having a very low level of fungus still exist. The fact is, this antidepressant can cross the blood-brain barrier and can get into the tissue at high concentrations."
It remains unclear exactly what dosage and concentration of sertraline is necessary to completely eliminate cryptococcosis, especially cryptococcal meningitis, but Lin and Sachs hope those answers will come to light with further testing.
"If this becomes useful, it could represent a truly significant increase in our ability to help people with brain cryptococcal infections," Sachs adds.
Click here to read the Texas A&M team's paper.
For more information about Lin's and Sachs' respective research programs, go to http://www.bio.tamu.edu/FACMENU/FACULTY/LinX.htm or http://www.bio.tamu.edu/FACMENU/FACULTY/SachsM.php.
-aTm-
Contact: Shana K. Hutchins, (979) 862-1237 or shutchins@science.tamu.edu; Dr. Xiaorong Lin, (979) 845-7274 or xlin@bio.tamu.edu; or Dr. Matthew Sachs, (979) 845-5930 or msachs@bio.tamu.edu
COLLEGE STATION -- New research conducted by biologists at Texas A&M University suggests that ZOLOFT®, one of the most widely prescribed antidepressants in the world, also packs a potential preventative bonus -- potent mechanisms capable of inhibiting deadly fungal infections.
http://www.science.tamu.edu/articles/915/
The findings are the result of a two-year investigation by Xiaorong Lin, assistant professor of biology, and Matthew S. Sachs, professor of biology, involving sertraline hydrocholoride (ZOLOFT) and its effects on Cryptococcus neoformans, the major causative agent of fungal meningitis -- specifically, cryptococcal meningitis, which claims more than half a million lives worldwide each year, according to a 2009 Center for Disease Control (CDC) report.
Their research, funded with grants from the American Heart Association (AHA), the Norman Hackerman Advanced Research Program, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is published in the June issue of the American Society of Microbiology journal Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. Their research team includes Ph.D. candidate Bing Zhai and postdoctoral fellows Cheng Wu and Linqi Wang.
"The point here is that if there is a drug that already exists, is known to be well-tolerated, and has alternative uses, that's a good thing," Sachs says. "The billion dollars it would take to bring a drug to the market -- that's already done."
C. neoformans is a potentially dangerous fungal pathogen found in many soils throughout the world that may cause systemic infections, particularly involving the central nervous system. In most cases, the microscopic, airborne fungal cells of C. neoformans cause asymptomatic colonization in the lungs. However, Lin says the fungus is particularly aggressive in people with weakened immune systems and can spread to other parts of the body, such as the brain and spinal cord, resulting in cryptococcal meningitis -- a condition that, in absence of treatment, is fatal.
Lin participated in a previous study to screen a collection of FDA-approved drugs in a John Hopkins Clinical Compound Library to determine if any contained fungicidal agents. Although sertraline was shown to only moderately inhibit the effects of common fungal strains like Aspergillus nidulans, a genus of common mold often found on spoiled food, and Candida, a genus of yeast often associated with mammals, sertraline was found to be particularly effective against C. neoformans.
A follow-up investigation of sertraline in a mouse model of systemic cryptococcosis revealed that it combats infection similar to fluconazole, an antifungal drug used commonly since the early 1990s. Moreover, a drug combination of sertraline and fluconazole was found to work more efficiently than either drug alone.
Lin says that even though the infection ultimately proved fatal in the mice study, sertraline as a cryptoccol treatment still holds promise. Because sertraline reduced the overall fungal burden within the mice and also possesses the desirable ability to cross the blood-brain barrier as an antidepressant, there is still hope it can be altered to serve as a viable treatment option.
"The problem for many current antifungal drugs is that many cannot go to the brain, and it's very difficult for a lot of compounds to reach the brain in the first place," Lin says. "So, you run into the problem of not killing all the fungus or having a very low level of fungus still exist. The fact is, this antidepressant can cross the blood-brain barrier and can get into the tissue at high concentrations."
It remains unclear exactly what dosage and concentration of sertraline is necessary to completely eliminate cryptococcosis, especially cryptococcal meningitis, but Lin and Sachs hope those answers will come to light with further testing.
"If this becomes useful, it could represent a truly significant increase in our ability to help people with brain cryptococcal infections," Sachs adds.
Click here to read the Texas A&M team's paper.
For more information about Lin's and Sachs' respective research programs, go to http://www.bio.tamu.edu/FACMENU/FACULTY/LinX.htm or http://www.bio.tamu.edu/FACMENU/FACULTY/SachsM.php.
-aTm-
Contact: Shana K. Hutchins, (979) 862-1237 or shutchins@science.tamu.edu; Dr. Xiaorong Lin, (979) 845-7274 or xlin@bio.tamu.edu; or Dr. Matthew Sachs, (979) 845-5930 or msachs@bio.tamu.edu
Wednesday 25 July 2012
David Leeman - CITALOPRAM murder ... evidence thrown out of court ....just like FIDDAMAN
A Devon businessman who shot dead his estranged wife after learning of her affair has been jailed for 12 years.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-18829351
David Leeman, of Higher Cowley Farm, Parracombe, shot wife Jennie, 44, five times at close range in September 2011.
The 60-year-old, who had denied murder, admitted manslaughter on the grounds of loss of control at Exeter Crown Court.
Mr Justice Butterfield said he was "wholly unimpressed" with the evidence that Leeman had been affected by prescription medication he was taking.
'Terrible tragedy'
The court heard after the couple separated Mrs Leeman began an affair with 40-year-old Norman Laramy.
Leeman said he wanted to protect his four children from Mr Laramy as he believed he was a paedophile, although no evidence of sexual offending was found by Devon and Cornwall Police.
Leeman killed his wife on 18 September with a semi-automatic pistol he had kept illegally hidden for years in a secret compartment at their farm near Barnstaple in north Devon.
After the killing, he claimed he had done it after losing control because she refused to listen to his warnings about her new lover.
During sentencing, the judge, Mr Justice Butterfield, said Mrs Leeman's death was a "terrible tragedy" and a "precious life needlessly lost".
He said Leeman had become obsessed with his belief that Mr Laramy was a paedophile, but told him the basis of that belief was "flimsy in the extreme".
Jennie Leeman was shot five times at point blank range He added that he did not accept evidence given during the trial that medication Leeman was taking had any effect on his behaviour.
He said: "You were not out of control when you recovered the gun, you were not out of control when you cleaned it and you were not out of control when you put it in your pocket.
"You took out the loaded gun and pointed it at her. You were not, in my judgment, out of control even though you were in a highly charged emotional state.
"But she laughed at you, and you did lose control, and pumped five bullets into her at point blank range."
Mr Butterfield said any degree of provocation from Mrs Leeman was low and she presented no threat, but the defendant acted out of "anger and frustration".
Jennie Leeman's family said earlier they were disappointed with the verdict, claiming that justice had not been done.
Leeman earlier admitted possessing the firearm. He was sentenced to an additional five years to run concurrently.
Mr Butterfield said that 296 days Leeman had already served would be taken into account, and he would spend half the sentence in prison before being released on licence
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-18829351
David Leeman, of Higher Cowley Farm, Parracombe, shot wife Jennie, 44, five times at close range in September 2011.
The 60-year-old, who had denied murder, admitted manslaughter on the grounds of loss of control at Exeter Crown Court.
Mr Justice Butterfield said he was "wholly unimpressed" with the evidence that Leeman had been affected by prescription medication he was taking.
'Terrible tragedy'
The court heard after the couple separated Mrs Leeman began an affair with 40-year-old Norman Laramy.
Leeman said he wanted to protect his four children from Mr Laramy as he believed he was a paedophile, although no evidence of sexual offending was found by Devon and Cornwall Police.
Leeman killed his wife on 18 September with a semi-automatic pistol he had kept illegally hidden for years in a secret compartment at their farm near Barnstaple in north Devon.
After the killing, he claimed he had done it after losing control because she refused to listen to his warnings about her new lover.
During sentencing, the judge, Mr Justice Butterfield, said Mrs Leeman's death was a "terrible tragedy" and a "precious life needlessly lost".
He said Leeman had become obsessed with his belief that Mr Laramy was a paedophile, but told him the basis of that belief was "flimsy in the extreme".
Jennie Leeman was shot five times at point blank range He added that he did not accept evidence given during the trial that medication Leeman was taking had any effect on his behaviour.
He said: "You were not out of control when you recovered the gun, you were not out of control when you cleaned it and you were not out of control when you put it in your pocket.
"You took out the loaded gun and pointed it at her. You were not, in my judgment, out of control even though you were in a highly charged emotional state.
"But she laughed at you, and you did lose control, and pumped five bullets into her at point blank range."
Mr Butterfield said any degree of provocation from Mrs Leeman was low and she presented no threat, but the defendant acted out of "anger and frustration".
Jennie Leeman's family said earlier they were disappointed with the verdict, claiming that justice had not been done.
Leeman earlier admitted possessing the firearm. He was sentenced to an additional five years to run concurrently.
Mr Butterfield said that 296 days Leeman had already served would be taken into account, and he would spend half the sentence in prison before being released on licence
PAXIL - SEROXAT - U.S. must do more to fight false ads ...take note FIDDAMAN
MIAMI, FL - FILE: A bottle of anti-depressant pills named Paxil are shown March 23, 2004 photographed in Miami, Florida. It was reported on July 2, 2012 that pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline will plead guilty with Justice Department and pay $3 billion in the largest settlement of health care fraud in U.S. history. The company is to plead guilty to a three-count criminal information, including two counts of introducing misbranded antidepressant drugs Paxil and Wellbutrin to interstate commerce and one count of failing to report safety data about the diabetes drug Avandia to the FDA. (Photo Illustration by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) Photo: Joe Raedle, Getty Images / SF
The U.S. Department of Justice has reached a settlement in the largest health care fraud case in U.S. history. The ruling, which included accusations of false advertising, forced the once widely respected British drugmaker, GlaxoSmithKline (maker of Avandia, Zofran, Paxil and Wellbutrin, among other pharmaceuticals) to pay a record-shattering $3 billion to various plaintiffs and the Department of Justice. At first glance, this case constitutes a win for both the Department of Justice and the American people. Initial glances, however, are very misleading.
Despite this $3 billion settlement, advertising fraud is on the rise in the United States. Expert public relations teams are called in to spin stories and confuse consumers - demeaning the efforts of our federal government, putting our judicial system at risk. It is clear there is not enough being done to prevent, stop or resolve matters of false advertising in this country.
While the effect of the GlaxoSmithKline case has yet to be fully seen, the outcomes of previous false advertisement lawsuits are particularly telling. Less than two months ago, a federal judge ruled on the Federal Trade Commission's case against the infamous pomegranate juice manufacturer POM Wonderful.
POM was sued for misleading advertising. Its medical claims on the ability of its pomegranate juice product to cure prostate cancer were, as FTC Chief Administrative Law Judge Michael Chappell ruled, medically unfounded.
This should have been disastrous for POM's advertising campaign and bottom line. POM did not suffer after the judge's ruling - it thrived. Only one week after Judge Chappell's ruling, POM began a new advertising campaign. The centerpiece of the ad campaign selectively quotes directly from Judge Chappell's ruling:
"What you as a consumer of POM need to know is that the FTC judge agreed that POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice and POMx do provide significant health benefits. Here is what the judge said in his own words: 'Competent and reliable scientific evidence supports the conclusion that the consumption of pomegranate juice and pomegranate extract supports prostate health.' "
Chappell did not rule in POM's favor. While Judge Chappell states that POM researchers (who were paid a sum of $35 million to conduct the research) came up with evidence that POM believed to be "competent and reliable," he notes, in the very next line of his ruling, that "the greater weight of the persuasive expert testimony shows that the evidence relied upon by (POM Wonderful) is not adequate to substantiate claims that the POM products treat, prevent or reduce the risk of prostate cancer." The fact that POM, after being sued for its false advertising, continues to present misleading advertisements that misrepresent a judge's ruling sets a dangerous example.
If GlaxoSmithKline is as creative, and deceptive, as POM at working around the lawsuit, then we might see it roll out ads that skew the $3 billion loss in its favor - blatantly distorting the ruling as an endorsement of its products.
Record settlements mean little if the deception continues. While winning lawsuits is a first step, what really matters is changing corporate behavior.
At this point, even as regulators secure record-breaking settlements, the American people are losing, and the corporate spin teams are winning, the fight.
Asha M. Fereydouni of Danville will graduate from UC Davis in June 2013
Physios to be given prescribing powers .FIDDAMAN & Scientology fail yet again ..trycyclics for pain?
Under the new legislation, physiotherapists will be able to prescribe medicines for issues such as chronic pain and respiratory diseases like asthma.
Podiatrists, who treat disorders of the foot, ankle and lower leg, will also be able to prescribe medication for their patients.
Physios to be given prescribing powers
25 July, 2012
By The Press Association
Physiotherapists and podiatrists are to be able to prescribe their patients with medicines, the Department of Health (DH) announced.
http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-specialisms/prescribing/physios-to-be-given-prescribing-powers/5047513.article?blocktitle=Latest-news-for-primary-care-nurses&contentID=231
Following suitable training, the medics will be able to give their patients medication such as painkillers and anti-inflammatories.
It will mean that podiatrists and physiotherapists will no longer have to refer their patients back to another healthcare worker - such as a GP - if medication is needed.
A DH spokeswoman said “advanced practitioner” physiotherapists and podiatrists in the UK would be the first in the world to be able to independently prescribe medicines where “clinically appropriate”.
Under the new legislation, physiotherapists will be able to prescribe medicines for issues such as chronic pain and respiratory diseases like asthma.
Podiatrists, who treat disorders of the foot, ankle and lower leg, will also be able to prescribe medication for their patients.
The College of Podiatry said the move will particularly benefit diabetic patients with infections of the feet and people suffering from other infections such as wounds and ingrown toenails and fungal infections.
Health minister Lord Howe said: “Physiotherapists and podiatrists are highly trained clinicians who play a vital role in ensuring patients receive integrated care that helps them recover after treatment or manage a long-term condition successfully.
“By introducing these changes, we aim to make the best use of their skills and allow patients to benefit from a faster and more effective service.”
The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) welcomed the move, saying it will mean that patients are offered quicker and more direct access to the medicines and treatment they need.
CSP chair Dr Helena Johnson said: “Giving physiotherapists the opportunity to prescribe independently will hugely improve the care we can provide in the future.
“Patients will now receive a more streamlined and efficient service, meaning they get the medicines they need more immediately.
“An unnecessary burden will be removed from doctors, with physiotherapists taking full responsibility and accountability for the prescribing decisions they make.
“For patients, the chance of faster relief from pain or other symptoms will also mean many can benefit more quickly from their physiotherapy treatment.”
Alison Wishart, chair of the Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists, said: “Independent prescribing provides podiatrists with the opportunity to deliver more flexible services for patients - ensuring timely access to medicines, care closer to home and enabling innovation.”
The new legislation is expected to come into effect in April next year, with the first intake of podiatrists and physiotherapists to go into Health Professions Council-approved education programmes in autumn 2013.
Tuesday 24 July 2012
Dear Leonie - proves properly monitored anti-depressant with counselling works, see FIDDAMAN blog
Dear Leonie
I receive e-mails occasionally from people looking for information on SSRI’s. Usually they’re from people with stories like mine with tragic endings but sometimes, just sometimes, there are nice stories of people who have survived their experience. Here’s one from a reader who would like to share; she wants to address the importance of an informed decision. Sadly, in Ireland, denial of the dangers of SSRI’s by the majority of the medical profession means that most Irish consumers will not be informed. I’m so glad that this one had a better outcome….
http://leoniefennell.wordpress.com/
Dear Leonie,
I needed to let you know that your blog and Shane’s journey have had a profound effect on me since the moment I read the first post. Knowing depression/anxiety and mental illness has run in my family I was very aware of the subject matter and read your blogs and links with due diligence. Little did I know that the knowledge I was gaining would play a part in saving my own son from the brink of despair and possible great harm. I live in America; my son is 21 and has been away at college for several years. He was doing terrific, grades were great, involved socially in great things, fund-raising for worthy causes, it seemed everyone loved him and he loved life. Then my mother’s instinct kicked in. I knew something had changed, he had broken up with a girlfriend (not a serious relationship), his grades were dropping and he was not as involved in social events as he had been. We lost several close family members and friends in the last few years, he took each loss badly. Then a friend of his died from a combination of illegal drugs. I heard my son break on the phone when I called to tell him the news. I travelled to him regularly, each time worrying more than the last, offering him “options” to leave college, to change his life, any support I could. I hesitated to advise him to take anti-depressions based on Shane’s story, and found lots of natural remedies/ over the counter stress relievers but none seemed to have any long term support. All the time he was a 3 hour drive away from me. It was nerve raking.
To cut a long story short, one day in April I got a heart wrenching call from my son. Thankfully a friend had recognized he needed help and brought him to a hospital. He had voluntarily checked himself in to a clinic to help him with severe anxiety/depression. He had been self-medicating with drink and anything he could to escape his personal pain.
After several conferences with medical/clinical staff and my son, it was highly recommended that he go on an anti-depressant. I spoke to his caregivers (privately) and explained my concerns. Here’s the shocker when I said “I am aware that SSRI’s can heighten anxiety and actually give the patient suicide and homicidal thoughts” the answer was immediate and blunt “ooh that’s only with people who have already had those thoughts before taking them”. I quickly responded with a ton of knowledgeable medical research quotes and cases (thanks to your blog) and told them of Shane’s journey. I could tell by the silence (it was a phone call) and immediate empathy that the social worker had learned something valuable from my words.
That being said, I knew my son needed help beyond hand-holding. His situation was real and serious and I had no doubt from my visits with him at the clinic that he was a suicide risk. So I advised him of the risks to taking SSRI’s, told him I would support him with in whatever he needed but I felt he needed full medical supervision while he started the medications. Thankfully he and his team agreed. To say his first week on the meds was the longest in my life would be an understatement. However I felt comforted by the fact that he was in counselling, being monitored closely and I prayed, crossed my fingers, and even asked Shane to look out for him! Within a week my son was a different young man. He starting talking in a hopeful manner, by week two he was calmer. Months later he is now off the anti-depressant (they had put him on the lowest dose possible), and he attends group therapy and has made changes to take a lot of pressure away from himself. He’s closer geographically now, and my mother’s instinct has relaxed (although I’ll always be on alert!). I knew in my heart he needed help both in meds and support. If it hadn’t been for you sharing Shane’s journey I know I would not have been so insistent he got the level of supervision, the lowest dose possible, nor the full support of follow-up. Depression is a real illness, and it needs more than a ‘happy pill’ to treat it. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for allowing me to be an informed Mother, I was scared, and did the best I could with what I knew. Just as you did. That’s all we Mothers can do. Thank you for giving us more information to make more informed decisions/give advice to our young adult children. I’ve already thanked Shane, so now it’s time for me to thank his Mum.
Thanks Leonie.
From one Grateful Mom
I receive e-mails occasionally from people looking for information on SSRI’s. Usually they’re from people with stories like mine with tragic endings but sometimes, just sometimes, there are nice stories of people who have survived their experience. Here’s one from a reader who would like to share; she wants to address the importance of an informed decision. Sadly, in Ireland, denial of the dangers of SSRI’s by the majority of the medical profession means that most Irish consumers will not be informed. I’m so glad that this one had a better outcome….
http://leoniefennell.wordpress.com/
I needed to let you know that your blog and Shane’s journey have had a profound effect on me since the moment I read the first post. Knowing depression/anxiety and mental illness has run in my family I was very aware of the subject matter and read your blogs and links with due diligence. Little did I know that the knowledge I was gaining would play a part in saving my own son from the brink of despair and possible great harm. I live in America; my son is 21 and has been away at college for several years. He was doing terrific, grades were great, involved socially in great things, fund-raising for worthy causes, it seemed everyone loved him and he loved life. Then my mother’s instinct kicked in. I knew something had changed, he had broken up with a girlfriend (not a serious relationship), his grades were dropping and he was not as involved in social events as he had been. We lost several close family members and friends in the last few years, he took each loss badly. Then a friend of his died from a combination of illegal drugs. I heard my son break on the phone when I called to tell him the news. I travelled to him regularly, each time worrying more than the last, offering him “options” to leave college, to change his life, any support I could. I hesitated to advise him to take anti-depressions based on Shane’s story, and found lots of natural remedies/ over the counter stress relievers but none seemed to have any long term support. All the time he was a 3 hour drive away from me. It was nerve raking.
To cut a long story short, one day in April I got a heart wrenching call from my son. Thankfully a friend had recognized he needed help and brought him to a hospital. He had voluntarily checked himself in to a clinic to help him with severe anxiety/depression. He had been self-medicating with drink and anything he could to escape his personal pain.
After several conferences with medical/clinical staff and my son, it was highly recommended that he go on an anti-depressant. I spoke to his caregivers (privately) and explained my concerns. Here’s the shocker when I said “I am aware that SSRI’s can heighten anxiety and actually give the patient suicide and homicidal thoughts” the answer was immediate and blunt “ooh that’s only with people who have already had those thoughts before taking them”. I quickly responded with a ton of knowledgeable medical research quotes and cases (thanks to your blog) and told them of Shane’s journey. I could tell by the silence (it was a phone call) and immediate empathy that the social worker had learned something valuable from my words.
That being said, I knew my son needed help beyond hand-holding. His situation was real and serious and I had no doubt from my visits with him at the clinic that he was a suicide risk. So I advised him of the risks to taking SSRI’s, told him I would support him with in whatever he needed but I felt he needed full medical supervision while he started the medications. Thankfully he and his team agreed. To say his first week on the meds was the longest in my life would be an understatement. However I felt comforted by the fact that he was in counselling, being monitored closely and I prayed, crossed my fingers, and even asked Shane to look out for him! Within a week my son was a different young man. He starting talking in a hopeful manner, by week two he was calmer. Months later he is now off the anti-depressant (they had put him on the lowest dose possible), and he attends group therapy and has made changes to take a lot of pressure away from himself. He’s closer geographically now, and my mother’s instinct has relaxed (although I’ll always be on alert!). I knew in my heart he needed help both in meds and support. If it hadn’t been for you sharing Shane’s journey I know I would not have been so insistent he got the level of supervision, the lowest dose possible, nor the full support of follow-up. Depression is a real illness, and it needs more than a ‘happy pill’ to treat it. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for allowing me to be an informed Mother, I was scared, and did the best I could with what I knew. Just as you did. That’s all we Mothers can do. Thank you for giving us more information to make more informed decisions/give advice to our young adult children. I’ve already thanked Shane, so now it’s time for me to thank his Mum.
Thanks Leonie.
From one Grateful Mom
maybe our hearts needed to be broken, so they could expand .. re Shane Clancy murder ..FIDDAMAN
Our hearts are broken, but maybe our hearts needed to be broken, so they could expand’
http://www.irishexaminer.com/world/snsneyauql/rss2/
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
MOURNERS at the funeral Mass for Bray student Sebastian Creane were asked to give thought to the 22-year-old art and design student’s broken-hearted girlfriend, Jennifer Hannigan, who blamed herself for the boy’s death.
"Our hearts are broken, but maybe our hearts needed to be broken, so that they could expand," said Nuala Creane in a tribute to her dead son which was given a standing ovation.
"Please, bring to mind a happy moment in your lives. The happier the better.
"Now, let that happy feeling fill your whole body. Now bring your attention to Jen. She feels so responsible. She blames herself. Make her heart feel that happiness.
"Keep sending her your happiness. And then forgive yourselves."
Ms Hannigan suffered serious injuries when her ex-boyfriend ShaneClancy, believed to be jealous over her relatively new relationship with Sebastian, launched a brutal attack before turning a knife on himself.
The vicious assault was carried out at Mr Creane’s house in the Cuala Grove area of Bray in the early hours of Sunday, August 16.
Nuala Creane said her son was the light while Shane Clancy, who knifed himself in the heart after the frenzied attack, was the darkness.
"I notice that both boys who died were 22, both had the same initials, both were about to enter their final year in college and looked set, even in these recessionary times, to have fruitful careers," she said.
"So many similarities. Yet on the morning of August 16 my God of small things said to me, one boy represented the light, the other the darkness."
Among the mourners at the Church of the Most Holy Redeemer in Bray was Sebastian’sfather, James, as well as his brother, Dylan, who was also injured in the attack.
A white piano rested at the side of the altar – close family friend Phil Coulter, who offered his own public tribute to Sebastian last week, played throughout the service.
Bridge Over Troubled Water and Steal Away were performed by the Derry-born composer, accompanied by singer Tommy Fleming.
Friends and relatives offered Prayers of the Faithful, with tributes to Sebastian’s patience and his talents for photography, music and skateboarding.
Among the hundreds of mourners who packed the side aisles of the Bray chapelto pay their final respects was Europe Minister Dick Roche.
After the service Sebastian’s remains were taken to St Muredach’s Cathedral in Ballina, Co Mayo, for prayers followed by burial in nearby Leigue Cemetery.
http://www.irishexaminer.com/world/snsneyauql/rss2/
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
MOURNERS at the funeral Mass for Bray student Sebastian Creane were asked to give thought to the 22-year-old art and design student’s broken-hearted girlfriend, Jennifer Hannigan, who blamed herself for the boy’s death.
"Our hearts are broken, but maybe our hearts needed to be broken, so that they could expand," said Nuala Creane in a tribute to her dead son which was given a standing ovation.
"Please, bring to mind a happy moment in your lives. The happier the better.
"Now, let that happy feeling fill your whole body. Now bring your attention to Jen. She feels so responsible. She blames herself. Make her heart feel that happiness.
"Keep sending her your happiness. And then forgive yourselves."
Ms Hannigan suffered serious injuries when her ex-boyfriend ShaneClancy, believed to be jealous over her relatively new relationship with Sebastian, launched a brutal attack before turning a knife on himself.
The vicious assault was carried out at Mr Creane’s house in the Cuala Grove area of Bray in the early hours of Sunday, August 16.
Nuala Creane said her son was the light while Shane Clancy, who knifed himself in the heart after the frenzied attack, was the darkness.
"I notice that both boys who died were 22, both had the same initials, both were about to enter their final year in college and looked set, even in these recessionary times, to have fruitful careers," she said.
"So many similarities. Yet on the morning of August 16 my God of small things said to me, one boy represented the light, the other the darkness."
Among the mourners at the Church of the Most Holy Redeemer in Bray was Sebastian’sfather, James, as well as his brother, Dylan, who was also injured in the attack.
A white piano rested at the side of the altar – close family friend Phil Coulter, who offered his own public tribute to Sebastian last week, played throughout the service.
Bridge Over Troubled Water and Steal Away were performed by the Derry-born composer, accompanied by singer Tommy Fleming.
Friends and relatives offered Prayers of the Faithful, with tributes to Sebastian’s patience and his talents for photography, music and skateboarding.
Among the hundreds of mourners who packed the side aisles of the Bray chapelto pay their final respects was Europe Minister Dick Roche.
After the service Sebastian’s remains were taken to St Muredach’s Cathedral in Ballina, Co Mayo, for prayers followed by burial in nearby Leigue Cemetery.
Monday 23 July 2012
Fiddaman used self hypnosis .... he regressed to childhood, but did he find his way back?
https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups#!topic/alt.hypnosis/4cY9u0-19T0
Regulator bans psychiatric drug Halcion ...MHRA has courage, unlike FIDDAMAN who has no phone in on radio show !
A GOVERNMENT ban on Halcion, the world's top-selling sleeping drug, has been extended for three months until October.
The decision follows an appeal by the Upjohn Company, which makes the drug, before the UK Medicines Commission in May. A rapid decision on the drug's fate had been expected.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/uk-extends-its-ban-on-halcion-sleep-drug-1532306.html
However, Upjohn received a letter informing it of the continued suspension of the drug's licence (effective from 2 July) only last week. A final decision would be made in the near future, according to the letter, signed by Dr Keith Jones, head of the Medicines Control Agency.
The agency is thought to be reserving its final decision until the European Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products reports on its review of short-acting sleeping drugs and sedatives, such as Halcion, according to Scrip, the pharmaceutical industry newsletter. Alternatively, the UK authorities may be re-assessing all the clinical data on the drug. The Department of Health declined to comment on the MCA decision.
Halcion has been linked with amnesia, paranoia, aggression and other psychiatric disturbances. Hundreds of people here and in the United States are seeking damages because of claimed side- effects.
Halcion was withdrawn in October 1991 after data from a clinical trial was resubmitted to the Committee on Safety of Medicines, the Government's drug safety watchdog. The data had been missing from a summary presented to the CSM as part of Upjohn's original UK licence application.
An appeal to the CSM in December 1991 was rejected. In May the American Food and Drug Administration decided Halcion could continue to be prescribed but recommended that warning labels be strengthened
The decision follows an appeal by the Upjohn Company, which makes the drug, before the UK Medicines Commission in May. A rapid decision on the drug's fate had been expected.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/uk-extends-its-ban-on-halcion-sleep-drug-1532306.html
However, Upjohn received a letter informing it of the continued suspension of the drug's licence (effective from 2 July) only last week. A final decision would be made in the near future, according to the letter, signed by Dr Keith Jones, head of the Medicines Control Agency.
The agency is thought to be reserving its final decision until the European Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products reports on its review of short-acting sleeping drugs and sedatives, such as Halcion, according to Scrip, the pharmaceutical industry newsletter. Alternatively, the UK authorities may be re-assessing all the clinical data on the drug. The Department of Health declined to comment on the MCA decision.
Halcion has been linked with amnesia, paranoia, aggression and other psychiatric disturbances. Hundreds of people here and in the United States are seeking damages because of claimed side- effects.
Halcion was withdrawn in October 1991 after data from a clinical trial was resubmitted to the Committee on Safety of Medicines, the Government's drug safety watchdog. The data had been missing from a summary presented to the CSM as part of Upjohn's original UK licence application.
An appeal to the CSM in December 1991 was rejected. In May the American Food and Drug Administration decided Halcion could continue to be prescribed but recommended that warning labels be strengthened
BBC PANORAMA libeled psychiatric drug maker UPJOHN ..no news there then, FIDDAMAN?
THE BBC is facing a pounds 1.5m bill after losing one of the longest and most costly libel cases in British history. The multi-party action over the sleeping pill Halcion took 65 days and is estimated to have generated total costs of pounds 4m. Last week one of the law chambers involved had to call in removal men to clear part of the paperwork.
The case involved the American drug company Upjohn; the BBC Panorama programme and its reporter Tom Mangold; Professor Ian Oswald, a retired Edinburgh psychiatrist, and Dr Royston Drucker, an Upjohn physician.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/bbc-faces-pounds-15m-bill-after-libel-case-drug-company-wins-damages-over-claims-in-tv-programme-celia-hall-reports-1439019.html
Halcion, once the world's most popular sleeping pill, was banned in Britain in 1991 on advice from the Government's drug safety advisers. New data was submitted on psychiatric side-effects and there was a storm of controversy - particularly in the United States - over claims about the drug's side- effects, including that it could make some patients violent with long-term use.
During the hearing, Upjohn claimed it was defamed by the BBC, which accused it of keeping silent about alleged side-effects.
Yesterday, in a 295-page written judgment, Mr Justice Sir Anthony May awarded Upjohn damages of pounds 60,000 against the BBC and Mr Mangold following claims made in a Panorama programme entitled 'The Halcion Nightmare'.
Sir Anthony awarded Upjohn damages of pounds 25,000 against Professor Oswald following statements he made in an article in the New York Times. Professor Oswald also had damages of pounds 75,000 awarded against him in a related libel claim brought by Dr Drucker.
But in a counter-claim against Upjohn, the drug company was ordered to pay Professor Oswald damages of pounds 50,000. A spokesman for Upjohn said that costs, yet to be finalised, would follow the judgments in each of the claims. Sir Anthony said the BBC and Professor Oswald were wrong to accuse Upjohn of deliberately misleading regulators about possible side-effects of Halcion during the Panorama programme. 'The seriousness of the libels against Upjohn is in my judgement obvious and great,' he said.
A spokeswoman for Panorama said last night an appeal was being considered. 'This is a major blow for investigative journalism.'
David Hooper, a partner with Biddle & Company, Professor Oswald's solicitors, said: 'The central issue here is that Professor Oswald has been awarded twice what Upjohn was awarded against him. Professor Oswald's reputation has been vindicated.'
He said that in the judgment Sir Anthony described Upjohn's behaviour in a press release the company issued after the New York Times article as malicious and with a reckless disregard for the truth.
Mr Hooper said the judgment reflected the fact that the New York Times sold only '99 copies daily in this country'. The amount of damages awarded against Professor Oswald was affected by the 'tiny' extent of the publication of his views within the UK, via the New York Times. Such republication as there was within the jurisdiction was balanced.
'Upjohn knew perfectly well that the case that he was making was one which had to be considered seriously,' Sir Anthony stated. It is understood that the Medical Defence Union will pay Professor Oswald's costs.
Ley Smith, Upjohn's president and chief operating officer, said: 'We are very pleased with the verdict. It's a vindication for the company and its employees . . ' He added that the damages would be divided equally between Save the Children and Help the Aged
The case involved the American drug company Upjohn; the BBC Panorama programme and its reporter Tom Mangold; Professor Ian Oswald, a retired Edinburgh psychiatrist, and Dr Royston Drucker, an Upjohn physician.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/bbc-faces-pounds-15m-bill-after-libel-case-drug-company-wins-damages-over-claims-in-tv-programme-celia-hall-reports-1439019.html
Halcion, once the world's most popular sleeping pill, was banned in Britain in 1991 on advice from the Government's drug safety advisers. New data was submitted on psychiatric side-effects and there was a storm of controversy - particularly in the United States - over claims about the drug's side- effects, including that it could make some patients violent with long-term use.
During the hearing, Upjohn claimed it was defamed by the BBC, which accused it of keeping silent about alleged side-effects.
Yesterday, in a 295-page written judgment, Mr Justice Sir Anthony May awarded Upjohn damages of pounds 60,000 against the BBC and Mr Mangold following claims made in a Panorama programme entitled 'The Halcion Nightmare'.
Sir Anthony awarded Upjohn damages of pounds 25,000 against Professor Oswald following statements he made in an article in the New York Times. Professor Oswald also had damages of pounds 75,000 awarded against him in a related libel claim brought by Dr Drucker.
But in a counter-claim against Upjohn, the drug company was ordered to pay Professor Oswald damages of pounds 50,000. A spokesman for Upjohn said that costs, yet to be finalised, would follow the judgments in each of the claims. Sir Anthony said the BBC and Professor Oswald were wrong to accuse Upjohn of deliberately misleading regulators about possible side-effects of Halcion during the Panorama programme. 'The seriousness of the libels against Upjohn is in my judgement obvious and great,' he said.
A spokeswoman for Panorama said last night an appeal was being considered. 'This is a major blow for investigative journalism.'
David Hooper, a partner with Biddle & Company, Professor Oswald's solicitors, said: 'The central issue here is that Professor Oswald has been awarded twice what Upjohn was awarded against him. Professor Oswald's reputation has been vindicated.'
He said that in the judgment Sir Anthony described Upjohn's behaviour in a press release the company issued after the New York Times article as malicious and with a reckless disregard for the truth.
Mr Hooper said the judgment reflected the fact that the New York Times sold only '99 copies daily in this country'. The amount of damages awarded against Professor Oswald was affected by the 'tiny' extent of the publication of his views within the UK, via the New York Times. Such republication as there was within the jurisdiction was balanced.
'Upjohn knew perfectly well that the case that he was making was one which had to be considered seriously,' Sir Anthony stated. It is understood that the Medical Defence Union will pay Professor Oswald's costs.
Ley Smith, Upjohn's president and chief operating officer, said: 'We are very pleased with the verdict. It's a vindication for the company and its employees . . ' He added that the damages would be divided equally between Save the Children and Help the Aged
Sunday 22 July 2012
Scientology: Don’t Let Tom Cruise and John Travolta’s Membership Fool You ..don't be duped by FIDDAMAN
Scientology: Don’t Let Tom Cruise and John Travolta’s Membership Fool You
Dr. Steven Frye
http://guardianlv.com/2012/07/scientology-dont-let-tom-cruise-and-john-travoltas-membership-fool-you/
Google “SCIENTOLOGY RELATED SUICIDES and MURDERS” and you will find many articles on the dangers of this anti-psychiatry, anti-medication cult.
Modern psychiatry has truly miraculous, remarkably safe, life-saving medications and therapies to assist patients with all kinds of mental disorders, especially depression and suicidal thinking. Yet Tom Cruise and John Travolta constantly shove their dangerous propaganda on us.
Scientology’s own very stressful and toxic training further aggravates this by the “number of individuals [who] go crazy when exposed to the Hubbard Tech even absent malicious intent on the part of the persons applying the Tech. For example, [Andre Tabayoyon] saw John Colletto get psychotic after he was exposed to the OT III level (Operating the tan level III) materials. He got a pistol. In my presence, he shot his wife in the head. She died instantly. Then John ran a short distance before turning the pistol on himself and committing suicide. Moreover, John Travolta’s auditor told me of two occasions … John Travolta went into deep depression after auditing and therefore suffered a psychotic break.”
“I personally observed a number of other Scientologists go crazy and commit suicide as a result of the auditing processes…The results of Scientology’s hatred of medicine and psychiatry has lead to numerous deaths. The second half of this list describes five of those deaths.”
(Ref:An extract from an affidavit by Andre Tabayoyon)
Even without the trauma of this “training,” depression is a very common disorder in which suicidal ideas often occur. How many others that could have been treated and very easily saved have died unnecessarily because of this dangerous cult?
Regarding John Travolta and Kelly Preston’s son, “Jett had been having seizures on an average of every four days, until he started taking Depakote… the drug initially worked, reducing the frequency to approximately once every three weeks…Jett took Depokate for ‘several years,’ but it eventually lost its effectiveness, according to Ossi and McDermott.” They say “it began to cause serious physical damage” including “damage to Jett’s liver. And Jett went back to having at least one seizure every four days. So Travolta and Preston, after consulting neurosurgeons, stopped administering the drug.” (Ref:TMZ, Huffington Post, Access Hollywood, Us, People: 02/02/09, Updated: 05/25/11)
Incredible!!! Neurologists are usually the specialists that treat seizure disorders, unless they are intractable in which case neurosurgery can be very effective. But seizures are brain disorders and we know how Scientologists reject treatment of brain disorders. When Jett allegedly died from a seizure, how come no one challenged them as to why he was not on seizure medications? How come there was no indication of any blood levels of seizure meds on his autopsy?
With proper treatment it’s very likely that Jett Travolta would still be alive. Jehovah’s Witnesses are not allowed to let their children die for their religious beliefs. Why are Scientology celebrities allowed to let their children die without treatment when other citizens are not?
Scientology is believed to have played a strong role in the Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes divorce. She moved to New York where Scientology does not have the support it has in LA and after only a couple of weeks the divorce was finalized. The Scientologists certainly did not want a public divorce settlement hearing so everyone could learn the truth.
After Katie had their daughter, did she really want her to be raised with the potentially appalling beliefs of the Scientologists? Obviously not, as she just rejoined the Catholic Church about a week after her divorce was finalized and registered Suri in a Catholic School.
So Scientology is a very dangerous cult that can have a devastating effect on our relationships, especially marriage and family, our health and even our lives.
Citizen beware!
Dr. Steven Frye
http://guardianlv.com/2012/07/scientology-dont-let-tom-cruise-and-john-travoltas-membership-fool-you/
Google “SCIENTOLOGY RELATED SUICIDES and MURDERS” and you will find many articles on the dangers of this anti-psychiatry, anti-medication cult.
Modern psychiatry has truly miraculous, remarkably safe, life-saving medications and therapies to assist patients with all kinds of mental disorders, especially depression and suicidal thinking. Yet Tom Cruise and John Travolta constantly shove their dangerous propaganda on us.
Scientology’s own very stressful and toxic training further aggravates this by the “number of individuals [who] go crazy when exposed to the Hubbard Tech even absent malicious intent on the part of the persons applying the Tech. For example, [Andre Tabayoyon] saw John Colletto get psychotic after he was exposed to the OT III level (Operating the tan level III) materials. He got a pistol. In my presence, he shot his wife in the head. She died instantly. Then John ran a short distance before turning the pistol on himself and committing suicide. Moreover, John Travolta’s auditor told me of two occasions … John Travolta went into deep depression after auditing and therefore suffered a psychotic break.”
“I personally observed a number of other Scientologists go crazy and commit suicide as a result of the auditing processes…The results of Scientology’s hatred of medicine and psychiatry has lead to numerous deaths. The second half of this list describes five of those deaths.”
(Ref:An extract from an affidavit by Andre Tabayoyon)
Even without the trauma of this “training,” depression is a very common disorder in which suicidal ideas often occur. How many others that could have been treated and very easily saved have died unnecessarily because of this dangerous cult?
Regarding John Travolta and Kelly Preston’s son, “Jett had been having seizures on an average of every four days, until he started taking Depakote… the drug initially worked, reducing the frequency to approximately once every three weeks…Jett took Depokate for ‘several years,’ but it eventually lost its effectiveness, according to Ossi and McDermott.” They say “it began to cause serious physical damage” including “damage to Jett’s liver. And Jett went back to having at least one seizure every four days. So Travolta and Preston, after consulting neurosurgeons, stopped administering the drug.” (Ref:TMZ, Huffington Post, Access Hollywood, Us, People: 02/02/09, Updated: 05/25/11)
Incredible!!! Neurologists are usually the specialists that treat seizure disorders, unless they are intractable in which case neurosurgery can be very effective. But seizures are brain disorders and we know how Scientologists reject treatment of brain disorders. When Jett allegedly died from a seizure, how come no one challenged them as to why he was not on seizure medications? How come there was no indication of any blood levels of seizure meds on his autopsy?
With proper treatment it’s very likely that Jett Travolta would still be alive. Jehovah’s Witnesses are not allowed to let their children die for their religious beliefs. Why are Scientology celebrities allowed to let their children die without treatment when other citizens are not?
Scientology is believed to have played a strong role in the Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes divorce. She moved to New York where Scientology does not have the support it has in LA and after only a couple of weeks the divorce was finalized. The Scientologists certainly did not want a public divorce settlement hearing so everyone could learn the truth.
After Katie had their daughter, did she really want her to be raised with the potentially appalling beliefs of the Scientologists? Obviously not, as she just rejoined the Catholic Church about a week after her divorce was finalized and registered Suri in a Catholic School.
So Scientology is a very dangerous cult that can have a devastating effect on our relationships, especially marriage and family, our health and even our lives.
Citizen beware!
Friday 20 July 2012
GlaxoSmithKline pays $3bn for lupus drug partner ....GSK on the up FIDDAMAN ?
GlaxoSmithKline pays $3bn for lupus drug partner
US biotech Human Genome Sciences accepts $14.25 a share after resisting advances of Europe's largest drug firm for months
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/jul/16/glaxosmithkline-human-genome-sciences-benlysta?newsfeed=true
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Email Julia Kollewe
guardian.co.uk, Monday 16 July 2012 15.41 BST
GSK's chief executive, Sir Andrew Witty, right, says of the deal: 'We are pleased to have reached a mutually beneficial agreement with HGS on friendly terms.' Photograph: Martin Godwin for the Guardian
GlaxoSmithKline has gained full control of lupus drug Benlysta after snapping up Human Genome Sciences in a negotiated $3bn deal, following three months of hostile pursuit of its long-term US partner.
Europe's largest pharmaceutical manufacturer agreed to pay $14.25 (£9.13) a share in cash for the US biotech, which until recently had steadfastly resisted its advances. The boards of both companies have approved the deal.
GSK had initially offered to pay $13 a share, valuing HGS at $2.6bn. It went directly to the US firm's shareholders with a tender offer in May, after HGS adopted a poison pill to thwart the bid. The US biotech also approached other large drug-makers about a takeover.
The price is double the $7.17 the Human Genome share price traded at before GSK's bid was made public in April.
In a near 20-year partnership, GSK and HGS developed and sold Benlysta, the first lupus drug in half a century. An estimated 1.6 million people in the world have lupus.
The two companies also co-operate in the development of two other medicines for diabetes and heart disease. The Maryland-based biotech uses the human gene map to develop protein and antibody drugs.
GSK's chief executive, Sir Andrew Witty, said: "We are pleased to have reached a mutually beneficial agreement with HGS on friendly terms and believe the combination of GSK and HGS represents clear financial and strategic logic for both companies and our respective shareholders."
His counterpart Thomas Watkins said: "After a thorough analysis of strategic alternatives, HGS has determined that a combination with GSK is the best course of action for our company and the best way to maximise value for our stockholders."
Despite bumping its offer 10% and paying a 99% premium to the share price before its interest was made public, industry analysts said GSK had got a good deal – to the frustration of Human Genome investors hoping for a price in the high-teens a share.
"I'm disappointed with the deal because I think Benlysta is actually going to be a good drug," said Carol Werther, an analyst at Summer Street Research. "Glaxo wanted to get this on the cheap and they were able to do it in the absence of other bidders."
GSK said it expected to achieve cost savings of at least $200 m by 2015.
Navid Malik, an industry analyst at Cenkos Securities, said the deal was "nice to have" rather than a need to have for GSK, whose $112bn market value dwarves that of Human Genome.
Shares in GSK were up 0.66% at £14.55 at the close of trading in London.
The drug industry has seen a flurry of deals recently, driven by big pharmaceutical companies' hunt for new medicines as many of their blockbuster drugs lose patent protection. In a two-stage deal, AstraZeneca teamed up with its US partner Bristol-Myers Squibb last month to buy diabetes drug developer Amylin for $7bn
US biotech Human Genome Sciences accepts $14.25 a share after resisting advances of Europe's largest drug firm for months
US biotech Human Genome Sciences accepts $14.25 a share after resisting advances of Europe's largest drug firm for months
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/jul/16/glaxosmithkline-human-genome-sciences-benlysta?newsfeed=true
Share 1
Email Julia Kollewe
guardian.co.uk, Monday 16 July 2012 15.41 BST
GSK's chief executive, Sir Andrew Witty, right, says of the deal: 'We are pleased to have reached a mutually beneficial agreement with HGS on friendly terms.' Photograph: Martin Godwin for the Guardian
GlaxoSmithKline has gained full control of lupus drug Benlysta after snapping up Human Genome Sciences in a negotiated $3bn deal, following three months of hostile pursuit of its long-term US partner.
Europe's largest pharmaceutical manufacturer agreed to pay $14.25 (£9.13) a share in cash for the US biotech, which until recently had steadfastly resisted its advances. The boards of both companies have approved the deal.
GSK had initially offered to pay $13 a share, valuing HGS at $2.6bn. It went directly to the US firm's shareholders with a tender offer in May, after HGS adopted a poison pill to thwart the bid. The US biotech also approached other large drug-makers about a takeover.
The price is double the $7.17 the Human Genome share price traded at before GSK's bid was made public in April.
In a near 20-year partnership, GSK and HGS developed and sold Benlysta, the first lupus drug in half a century. An estimated 1.6 million people in the world have lupus.
The two companies also co-operate in the development of two other medicines for diabetes and heart disease. The Maryland-based biotech uses the human gene map to develop protein and antibody drugs.
GSK's chief executive, Sir Andrew Witty, said: "We are pleased to have reached a mutually beneficial agreement with HGS on friendly terms and believe the combination of GSK and HGS represents clear financial and strategic logic for both companies and our respective shareholders."
His counterpart Thomas Watkins said: "After a thorough analysis of strategic alternatives, HGS has determined that a combination with GSK is the best course of action for our company and the best way to maximise value for our stockholders."
Despite bumping its offer 10% and paying a 99% premium to the share price before its interest was made public, industry analysts said GSK had got a good deal – to the frustration of Human Genome investors hoping for a price in the high-teens a share.
"I'm disappointed with the deal because I think Benlysta is actually going to be a good drug," said Carol Werther, an analyst at Summer Street Research. "Glaxo wanted to get this on the cheap and they were able to do it in the absence of other bidders."
GSK said it expected to achieve cost savings of at least $200 m by 2015.
Navid Malik, an industry analyst at Cenkos Securities, said the deal was "nice to have" rather than a need to have for GSK, whose $112bn market value dwarves that of Human Genome.
Shares in GSK were up 0.66% at £14.55 at the close of trading in London.
The drug industry has seen a flurry of deals recently, driven by big pharmaceutical companies' hunt for new medicines as many of their blockbuster drugs lose patent protection. In a two-stage deal, AstraZeneca teamed up with its US partner Bristol-Myers Squibb last month to buy diabetes drug developer Amylin for $7bn
US biotech Human Genome Sciences accepts $14.25 a share after resisting advances of Europe's largest drug firm for months
Sunday 15 July 2012
GLAXO executive ...can't even spell involved ....fiddaman twaddle blog exposed
Evelyn Pringle9:24 PM
Excellent expose! I posted a link on Facebook.
Reply
Anonymous1:50 AM
As a former senior executive of GlaxoSmithKline, I am appalled at the despicable actions of Andrew Witty and all the other former Execs invlved in the Marketing and Sales of GSK products during the years in question. I'm proud to say I was a part of an internal support function that practiced zero tolerance as it related to the ethical procurement of goods and services. Andrew Witty is a shameful fraud and it is unfortunate that the GSK stockholders are such a weak group and don't revolt and demand his and Sir Christopher's resignation. I am totally disgusted and embarassed by what has happened.
ReplyBOB FIDDAMAN [Fiddy]4:14 AM
If you have any information on the "despicable actions of Andrew Witty and all the other former Execs invlved in the Marketing and Sales of GSK products during the years in question", please feel free to drop me a line. Use the email box in the sidebar of this blog
Reply
GSK Unphased by an increasingly Unhinged Fiddaman in $2.6 billion bid for biotech firm Human Genome Sciences
GlaxoSmithKline is holding talks this weekend with Human Genome Sciences to agree a deal to acquire it for some $2.6 billion, after pursuing the U.S. biotech firm for three months, sources familiar with the situation said on Sunday.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/15/us-humangenome-glaxosmithkline-idUSBRE86E08P20120715
Human Genome, which rejected a $13-a-share offer in April from GlaxoSmithKline, its long-time partner, has come under pressure from investors to try and strike a deal with the British drugmaker in the absence of any alternative bids.
The U.S. company - an early pioneer of gene-based drug discovery - has set itself a July 16 deadline for finding higher bids, but interest has been limited because GSK already has marketing rights to its drugs.
U.S. biotech company Celgene was at one stage considering whether to bid, according to a source, but negative analyst and investor reaction when news of those discussions broke deterred the U.S. group.
Without alternative bids, Human Genome shareholders have been pressing the company's management to engage with GSK before July 16 to avoid a share price collapse - and that argument has been a trigger for the weekend discussions.
A spokesman for GSK declined to comment, while officials at Human Genome were not immediately available.
Last year Human Genome and GSK won approval for Benlysta, the first new treatment for lupus in 50 years. But the drug's launch disappointed investors and Human Genome's shares fell from a high above $25 to a low of $6.51 in December. Glaxo made its offer a few months later, prompting Human Genome to launch an auction with the help of Credit Suisse and Goldman Sachs.
Human Genome and GSK share rights to Benlysta. They are also collaborating on two other experimental drugs in late-stage trials for heart disease and diabetes, where GSK owns a large majority of the economic interest.
Buying Human Genome would give GSK full rights to these partnered drugs, underscoring the appetite among big drugmakers for biotech products to drive future sales.
GSK would be also be able to strip out costs and the company's chief executive, Andrew Witty, told investors in May he expected to deliver "an extraordinary return" through the acquisition.
Human Genome investors have been hoping that GSK will sweeten its offer and the shares closed on Friday at $13.58 - above GSK's offer but well down on the level of more than $15 hit in April, soon after the unsolicited offer was made public.
There have been a spate of acquisitions of biotech companies this year as large pharmaceutical companies seek to rebuild their pipelines after a wave of patent expiries.
Most recently, Bristol-Myers Squibb agreed to buy diabetes specialist Amylin Pharmaceuticals by sharing the $7 billion cost of the deal with AstraZeneca.
(Additional reporting by Soyoung Kim in New York; Editing by Susan Fenton)
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/15/us-humangenome-glaxosmithkline-idUSBRE86E08P20120715
Human Genome, which rejected a $13-a-share offer in April from GlaxoSmithKline, its long-time partner, has come under pressure from investors to try and strike a deal with the British drugmaker in the absence of any alternative bids.
The U.S. company - an early pioneer of gene-based drug discovery - has set itself a July 16 deadline for finding higher bids, but interest has been limited because GSK already has marketing rights to its drugs.
U.S. biotech company Celgene was at one stage considering whether to bid, according to a source, but negative analyst and investor reaction when news of those discussions broke deterred the U.S. group.
Without alternative bids, Human Genome shareholders have been pressing the company's management to engage with GSK before July 16 to avoid a share price collapse - and that argument has been a trigger for the weekend discussions.
A spokesman for GSK declined to comment, while officials at Human Genome were not immediately available.
Last year Human Genome and GSK won approval for Benlysta, the first new treatment for lupus in 50 years. But the drug's launch disappointed investors and Human Genome's shares fell from a high above $25 to a low of $6.51 in December. Glaxo made its offer a few months later, prompting Human Genome to launch an auction with the help of Credit Suisse and Goldman Sachs.
Human Genome and GSK share rights to Benlysta. They are also collaborating on two other experimental drugs in late-stage trials for heart disease and diabetes, where GSK owns a large majority of the economic interest.
Buying Human Genome would give GSK full rights to these partnered drugs, underscoring the appetite among big drugmakers for biotech products to drive future sales.
GSK would be also be able to strip out costs and the company's chief executive, Andrew Witty, told investors in May he expected to deliver "an extraordinary return" through the acquisition.
Human Genome investors have been hoping that GSK will sweeten its offer and the shares closed on Friday at $13.58 - above GSK's offer but well down on the level of more than $15 hit in April, soon after the unsolicited offer was made public.
There have been a spate of acquisitions of biotech companies this year as large pharmaceutical companies seek to rebuild their pipelines after a wave of patent expiries.
Most recently, Bristol-Myers Squibb agreed to buy diabetes specialist Amylin Pharmaceuticals by sharing the $7 billion cost of the deal with AstraZeneca.
(Additional reporting by Soyoung Kim in New York; Editing by Susan Fenton)
@GSK - Baum & Hedlund not so clean themselves, hardly Snow White....no wonder they love Bob FIDDAMAN
Once you spot a GO unindicted co-con, they turn up every where you look. Michael Baum, recently located as a partner at LA firm Baum, Hedlund, Aristei, Guilford & Downey, is up to his neck in the brewing scandal surrounding Digital Lightwave Inc..A major shareholder at the company's IPO, Baum may be implicated further when the barrage of class action lawsuits against DIGL hit the courts.
Also uncovered: BHAGD's recent "victory against the psych empire".
http://home.earthlink.net/~snefru/GO/new.html
Know the Attorneys for Scientology ....expose the underbelly that feeds FIDDAMAN
http://exposingtheunderbelly.blogspot.co.uk/2009/04/michael-lin-baum-56y-b4-10-52-clinton.html
Includes BAUM HEDLUND -
George “Skip” William Murgatroyd III 61y attorney (PTS/SP '88, patron '06) (UT) (Tracey Forbes Murgatroyd 58y (Solo Nots I '97), ex-w: Joy L. Callahan, Jack William Murgatroyd (TR '05), f:George W. Murgatroyd II b:12-4-16 d:3-15-99
CCHR (lost against Eli Lilly pharma. Company)
Coale, Kananak & Murgatroyd
6956 Dume Drive
Malibu, CA 90265-4227 (310) 457-6035 skipmurgatroyd@hotmail.com
Michael Lin Baum 57 years old Clinton, OK, attorney (119511)(D.C.) unindicted co-conspirators (Operation SnowWhite, 'so scientology can have snow white hands' steals federal documents about Hubbard and scientology) (Melissa J. Sirkel Baum 43y)
Baum, Hedlund, Aristei, Schiavo law firm
Paul James Hedlund 63 years old (wife is Marta Louise (Brewer) Hedlund 52y teacher at Rosemont Middle School), ex-wife is Marie Olga (Kiraly) Hedlund 62
J. Clark Aristei
Gary Alan Brown 59 years old (litigant assistant, OSA, Integrity '87)
12100 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 950,
Los Angeles, CA 90025-7106 310-207-3233
more here - http://exposingtheunderbelly.blogspot.co.uk/2009/04/michael-lin-baum-56y-b4-10-52-clinton.html
Includes BAUM HEDLUND -
George “Skip” William Murgatroyd III 61y attorney (PTS/SP '88, patron '06) (UT) (Tracey Forbes Murgatroyd 58y (Solo Nots I '97), ex-w: Joy L. Callahan, Jack William Murgatroyd (TR '05), f:George W. Murgatroyd II b:12-4-16 d:3-15-99
CCHR (lost against Eli Lilly pharma. Company)
Coale, Kananak & Murgatroyd
6956 Dume Drive
Malibu, CA 90265-4227 (310) 457-6035 skipmurgatroyd@hotmail.com
Michael Lin Baum 57 years old Clinton, OK, attorney (119511)(D.C.) unindicted co-conspirators (Operation SnowWhite, 'so scientology can have snow white hands' steals federal documents about Hubbard and scientology) (Melissa J. Sirkel Baum 43y)
Baum, Hedlund, Aristei, Schiavo law firm
Paul James Hedlund 63 years old (wife is Marta Louise (Brewer) Hedlund 52y teacher at Rosemont Middle School), ex-wife is Marie Olga (Kiraly) Hedlund 62
J. Clark Aristei
Gary Alan Brown 59 years old (litigant assistant, OSA, Integrity '87)
12100 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 950,
Los Angeles, CA 90025-7106 310-207-3233
more here - http://exposingtheunderbelly.blogspot.co.uk/2009/04/michael-lin-baum-56y-b4-10-52-clinton.html
Thursday 12 July 2012
Wednesday 11 July 2012
FIDDAMAN FAILS yet again as Lilly Cymbalta pediatric studies lead to patent extension
Lilly extends grip on U.S. rights to Cymbalta
Fri Jul 6, 2012 3:09pm BST
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/07/06/us-lilly-cymbalta-idUKBRE8650KY20120706
(Reuters) - Eli Lilly & Co said on Friday that it gained six more months of U.S. exclusivity on its Cymbalta antidepressant for conducting pediatric studies, extending Lilly's hold on the $4 billion-a-year drug until December 2013.
Drugmakers are frequently awarded six months of additional patent life on their medicines for conducting studies in children, an incentive U.S. lawmakers created because of a perceived lack of pediatric studies of medicines.
However, Lilly said that, based on the study results, it would not seek approval to expand use of Cymbalta for children. Cymbalta is approved in the United States only for use in individuals 18 years and older, the company noted.
6 Stocks to Buy NowDownload Free ReportUse of antidepressants for children has a controversial history. The Food and Drug Administration in 2004 warned of an increased risk of suicidal thoughts or behavior in children and adolescents treated with some antidepressants.
About 11 percent of adolescents have a depressive disorder by age 18, according to a survey cited by the National Institute of Mental Health.
The extension of exclusivity on Cymbalta is a boost to Lilly as it grapples with the loss last October of its U.S. patent for Zyprexa, an antipsychotic that was its previous top-selling product.
Shares of Lilly were off 0.5 percent at $42.64 in morning trade on the New York Stock Exchange, a slightly better performance than for the weak overall U.S. markets.
(Reporting by Lewis Krauskopf; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick and Steve Orlofsky)
Fri Jul 6, 2012 3:09pm BST
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/07/06/us-lilly-cymbalta-idUKBRE8650KY20120706
(Reuters) - Eli Lilly & Co said on Friday that it gained six more months of U.S. exclusivity on its Cymbalta antidepressant for conducting pediatric studies, extending Lilly's hold on the $4 billion-a-year drug until December 2013.
Drugmakers are frequently awarded six months of additional patent life on their medicines for conducting studies in children, an incentive U.S. lawmakers created because of a perceived lack of pediatric studies of medicines.
However, Lilly said that, based on the study results, it would not seek approval to expand use of Cymbalta for children. Cymbalta is approved in the United States only for use in individuals 18 years and older, the company noted.
6 Stocks to Buy NowDownload Free ReportUse of antidepressants for children has a controversial history. The Food and Drug Administration in 2004 warned of an increased risk of suicidal thoughts or behavior in children and adolescents treated with some antidepressants.
About 11 percent of adolescents have a depressive disorder by age 18, according to a survey cited by the National Institute of Mental Health.
The extension of exclusivity on Cymbalta is a boost to Lilly as it grapples with the loss last October of its U.S. patent for Zyprexa, an antipsychotic that was its previous top-selling product.
Shares of Lilly were off 0.5 percent at $42.64 in morning trade on the New York Stock Exchange, a slightly better performance than for the weak overall U.S. markets.
(Reporting by Lewis Krauskopf; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick and Steve Orlofsky)
Citalopram - Mother of murder victim in legal bid over new inquest into killer's death - decision soon FIDDAMAN?
Mother of murder victim in legal bid over new inquest into killer's death
By WicklowNews.net, Jun 11th 2012, 16:51
RTE reports the mother of a 22-year-old man stabbed to death in Bray almost three years ago, has begun legal proceedings to have a new inquest held into his killer's death.
Nuala Creane, whose son Sebastian was stabbed to death by Shane Clancy at the Creane home in Bray, has been given permission by the High Court to challenge the Attorney General's refusal to direct a new inquest into Mr Clancy's death.
She is also challenging the failure of the Minister for Justice to make any decision on a complaint by her about the conduct of the Coroner for East Wicklow, Cathal Louth, who conducted the inquest into Mr Clancy's death.
Mr Clancy, 22, stabbed himself to death in the early hours of 16 August 2009 after stabbing his former girlfriend Jennifer Hannigan, her new boyfriend Sebastian Creane and Sebastian's brother, Dylan. Sebastian died from his injuries.
The inquest into Mr Creane's death returned a verdict of unlawful killing and found that he died of a knife wound to the heart.
The inquest into Mr Clancy's death returned an open verdict.
Mr Clancy's mother told the inquest she believed her son's actions were the result of the prescribed anti depressants he had been taking.
The inquest heard he had "toxic to fatal" levels of the anti-depressant Cipramil in his system and evidence was given that he may have suffered an adverse reaction to the drug.
Lawyers for Mrs Creane told the High Court that the inquest into Mr Clancy's death was the only public judicial or quasi judicial forum in which the circumstances of the killing of Mr Creane would ever be fully considered, investigated or explored.
Mrs Creane says in advance of the inquest into Mr Clancy's death, the coroner, reassured her and her husband about how he intended to conduct the inquest and to address expert evidence in respect of the purported relationship between the anti-depressant medication and the behaviour of Mr Clancy.
The Creanes claim the coroner failed to conduct the inquest in an open, fair or balanced manner and they say there was no reasonable or fair inquiry into the relevant circumstances surrounding the killing.
The High Court gave permission to Mrs Creane to proceed with her challenge and it will be before the court again next month
By WicklowNews.net, Jun 11th 2012, 16:51
RTE reports the mother of a 22-year-old man stabbed to death in Bray almost three years ago, has begun legal proceedings to have a new inquest held into his killer's death.
Nuala Creane, whose son Sebastian was stabbed to death by Shane Clancy at the Creane home in Bray, has been given permission by the High Court to challenge the Attorney General's refusal to direct a new inquest into Mr Clancy's death.
She is also challenging the failure of the Minister for Justice to make any decision on a complaint by her about the conduct of the Coroner for East Wicklow, Cathal Louth, who conducted the inquest into Mr Clancy's death.
Mr Clancy, 22, stabbed himself to death in the early hours of 16 August 2009 after stabbing his former girlfriend Jennifer Hannigan, her new boyfriend Sebastian Creane and Sebastian's brother, Dylan. Sebastian died from his injuries.
The inquest into Mr Creane's death returned a verdict of unlawful killing and found that he died of a knife wound to the heart.
The inquest into Mr Clancy's death returned an open verdict.
Mr Clancy's mother told the inquest she believed her son's actions were the result of the prescribed anti depressants he had been taking.
The inquest heard he had "toxic to fatal" levels of the anti-depressant Cipramil in his system and evidence was given that he may have suffered an adverse reaction to the drug.
Lawyers for Mrs Creane told the High Court that the inquest into Mr Clancy's death was the only public judicial or quasi judicial forum in which the circumstances of the killing of Mr Creane would ever be fully considered, investigated or explored.
Mrs Creane says in advance of the inquest into Mr Clancy's death, the coroner, reassured her and her husband about how he intended to conduct the inquest and to address expert evidence in respect of the purported relationship between the anti-depressant medication and the behaviour of Mr Clancy.
The Creanes claim the coroner failed to conduct the inquest in an open, fair or balanced manner and they say there was no reasonable or fair inquiry into the relevant circumstances surrounding the killing.
The High Court gave permission to Mrs Creane to proceed with her challenge and it will be before the court again next month
Tuesday 10 July 2012
Citalopram - did antidepressant cause loss of control leading to murder? - see FIDDAMAN blog
David Leeman's antidepressants may have caused loss of control
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Jennie Leeman was shot six days after her husband learned of her affair Continue reading the main story
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-18771406
Related Stories
Killer heard 'voices' in his head
Wife shot 'to protect children'
Husband shot 'secret affair' wife
Antidepressants may have contributed to a killer's loss of control when he shot his wife, a court has heard.
David Leeman, of Higher Cowley Farm, Parracombe, Devon, shot wife Jennie, 44, five times at close range last September.
The 60-year-old denies murder but admits manslaughter on the grounds of loss of control.
A pharmacologist told the court Mr Leeman's symptoms were consistent with an adverse reaction to antidepressants.
Dr Andrew Herzheimer said Mr Leeman' feelings of being out of control and his sense of confusion were probably caused by his medication.
Behavioural changes
Mr Leeman had been taking a sedative anti-anxiety drug called Lorazepam for many years and had more recently also been prescribed the antidepressant Citalopram.
Citalopram, Dr Herzheimer said, was a drug closely linked to the controversial medication Seroxat, which has been blamed for sudden changes in behaviour in some users.
He said Mr Leeman's medical notes showed his dosage of Citalopram had been increased from 40 to 60 mg just six days before the killing, when he complained of anxiety over his marriage break up.
"He described feeling as if he was splitting in two and that is what is known as de-realisation and is consistent with a reaction to medication," the pharmacologist said.
Both the drugs Mr Leeman was taking would have caused confusion, he said, acting "a bit like alcohol" by decreasing inhibitions and increasing impulsiveness, recklessness and allowing more primitive and uncontrolled feelings to emerge.
Warnings ignored
But prosecution expert Professor Robin Ferner told the jury the increase in Mr Leeman's dosage was not enough to lead to "drastic and sudden" behavioural changes.
He said the medication was designed to reduce his anxiety and tension and should have calmed him down and made him able to cope with his wife's departure.
Mr and Mrs Leeman, who had four children, separated after Mr Leeman admitted a historic affair.
Mrs Leeman then began an affair with 40-year-old Norman Laramy, whom Mr Leeman wrongly thought was a paedophile.
Devon and Cornwall Police investigated Mr Laramy, but found no evidence of sexual offending.
Six days after learning of the affair, Mr Leeman killed his wife using an illegal semi-automatic pistol at almost point-blank range.
Mr Leeman claimed he lost control and shot his wife after she refused to listen to his warnings about her new lover.
The trial continues.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-18771406
Related Stories
Killer heard 'voices' in his head
Wife shot 'to protect children'
Husband shot 'secret affair' wife
Antidepressants may have contributed to a killer's loss of control when he shot his wife, a court has heard.
David Leeman, of Higher Cowley Farm, Parracombe, Devon, shot wife Jennie, 44, five times at close range last September.
The 60-year-old denies murder but admits manslaughter on the grounds of loss of control.
A pharmacologist told the court Mr Leeman's symptoms were consistent with an adverse reaction to antidepressants.
Dr Andrew Herzheimer said Mr Leeman' feelings of being out of control and his sense of confusion were probably caused by his medication.
Behavioural changes
Mr Leeman had been taking a sedative anti-anxiety drug called Lorazepam for many years and had more recently also been prescribed the antidepressant Citalopram.
Citalopram, Dr Herzheimer said, was a drug closely linked to the controversial medication Seroxat, which has been blamed for sudden changes in behaviour in some users.
He said Mr Leeman's medical notes showed his dosage of Citalopram had been increased from 40 to 60 mg just six days before the killing, when he complained of anxiety over his marriage break up.
"He described feeling as if he was splitting in two and that is what is known as de-realisation and is consistent with a reaction to medication," the pharmacologist said.
Both the drugs Mr Leeman was taking would have caused confusion, he said, acting "a bit like alcohol" by decreasing inhibitions and increasing impulsiveness, recklessness and allowing more primitive and uncontrolled feelings to emerge.
Warnings ignored
But prosecution expert Professor Robin Ferner told the jury the increase in Mr Leeman's dosage was not enough to lead to "drastic and sudden" behavioural changes.
He said the medication was designed to reduce his anxiety and tension and should have calmed him down and made him able to cope with his wife's departure.
Mr and Mrs Leeman, who had four children, separated after Mr Leeman admitted a historic affair.
Mrs Leeman then began an affair with 40-year-old Norman Laramy, whom Mr Leeman wrongly thought was a paedophile.
Devon and Cornwall Police investigated Mr Laramy, but found no evidence of sexual offending.
Six days after learning of the affair, Mr Leeman killed his wife using an illegal semi-automatic pistol at almost point-blank range.
Mr Leeman claimed he lost control and shot his wife after she refused to listen to his warnings about her new lover.
The trial continues.
Saturday 7 July 2012
GSK GlaxoSmithKline fraud - nobody is going to jail. No executive was even charged. ...big deal FIDDAMAN !
After six years of bribing American doctors, pushing antidepressants on children and hiding the heart attack risk of a diabetes drug, the British drug Company GlaxoSmithKline LLC got a slap on the wrist this week.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/larry-bodine/post_3573_b_1652688.html
•Glaxo agreed to pay $3 billion in fines for improperly pushing antidepressants Paxil and Wellbutrin, and diabetes drug Avandia, for many years. It is a pittance to Glaxo, which had $44 billion in sales in 2011 alone.
•The settlement is billed as "the largest health care fraud settlement in U.S. history." But Glaxo had already saved up to pay the fine. The settlement will barely affect the bottom line and the news of the settlement actually sent the stock price up.
•Glaxo pleaded guilty to health fraud but nobody is going to jail. No executive was even charged.
Kudos to the Department of Justice for nailing Glaxo. "At every level, we are determined to stop practices that jeopardize patients' health, harm taxpayers, and violate the public trust -- and this historic action is a clear warning to any company that chooses to break the law," said James M. Cole, Deputy Attorney General.
But to a massive operation like Glaxo, the fines amount to a speeding ticket. Admitting to meaningless criminal charges and paying penalties for poisoning consumers is just a cost of doing business.
What Glaxo Did to the Public
Paxil: For four years, Glaxo illegally promoted Paxil for treating depression in patients under age 18, even though the FDA has never approved this use. Glaxo helped in preparing, publishing and distributing a misleading medical journal article that misreported that a clinical trial of Paxil was effective in treating depression in patients under age 18, when the study failed to demonstrate efficacy. At the same time, the criminal pharma company hid data from two other studies in which Paxil also failed to help depression in minors.
Meanwhile, Glaxo sponsored dinner programs, lunch programs, spa programs and similar activities to promote the use of Paxil in children and adolescents. Glaxo paid a speaker to talk to an audience of doctors and paid for the meal or spa treatments for the doctors who attended. Glaxo agreed to plead guilty to misbranding Paxil in that its labeling was false and misleading regarding the use of Paxil for patients under 18.
Wellbutrin: For four years Glaxo promoted Wellbutrin, approved at that time only for Major Depressive Disorder, as a treatment for weight loss, sexual dysfunction, substance addictions and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, among other off-label uses. The executives at Glaxo paid millions to doctors to speak at and attend meetings, sometimes at lavish resorts, where the off-label uses of Wellbutrin were routinely promoted and also used sales representatives, sham advisory boards, and phony Continuing Medical Education (CME) programs to promote Wellbutrin for these unapproved uses. Glaxo has agreed to plead guilty to misbranding Wellbutrin in that its labeling did not bear adequate directions for these off-label uses.
Avandia: For six years Glaxo lied to the FDA about the safety of Avandia, a diabetes drug, in reports to the FDA that are meant to allow the agency to determine if a drug is safe. The missing information about the risk of heart failure and heart attacks included data regarding post-marketing studies, as well as data regarding two studies undertaken in response to European regulators' concerns about the cardiovascular safety of Avandia. Glaxo has agreed to plead guilty to failing to report data to the FDA and has agreed to pay a criminal fine of $242,612,800 for its unlawful conduct concerning Avandia.
Another criminal pharma company, Abbot Labs, just agreed to pay a pay $1.5 billion in a settlement involving the anti-seizure drug Depakote in May 2012. Abbot was illegally bribing pharmacists to recommend it to defenseless elderly dementia patients for improper uses.
The previous U.S. record for the largest financial penalty paid by a pharmaceutical company for illegal marketing of drugs is the $2.3 billion mark set by Pfizer and its subsidiaries in 2009.
Looking Out for Yourself
If you have taken any drug manufactured by Glaxo -- including Paxil, Wellbutrin or Avandia -- search online and read articles to determine whether you have suffered any of the dangerous side effects. The $3B fines are being paid to the government -- not individual consumers. If you believe you have been damaged by a Glaxo drug, contact a lawyer who has experience dealing with pharmaceutical companies. Pharma companies have vast funds and battalions of lawyers to fight consumer claims, and you should be sure your lawyer has the resources to take on a criminal drug company.
And before you go, leave a comment below about this article and the fines being levied against drug companies. Should pharma companies be given penalties that affect their bottom line? Should individual executives in charge of paying bribes be personally indicted? Tell us what you think.
Cross-posted from Lawyers.com.
Content concerning legal matters is for informational purposes only, and should not be relied upon in making legal decisions or assessing your legal risks. Always consult a licensed attorney in the appropriate jurisdiction before taking any course of action that may affect your legal rights.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/larry-bodine/post_3573_b_1652688.html
•Glaxo agreed to pay $3 billion in fines for improperly pushing antidepressants Paxil and Wellbutrin, and diabetes drug Avandia, for many years. It is a pittance to Glaxo, which had $44 billion in sales in 2011 alone.
•The settlement is billed as "the largest health care fraud settlement in U.S. history." But Glaxo had already saved up to pay the fine. The settlement will barely affect the bottom line and the news of the settlement actually sent the stock price up.
•Glaxo pleaded guilty to health fraud but nobody is going to jail. No executive was even charged.
Kudos to the Department of Justice for nailing Glaxo. "At every level, we are determined to stop practices that jeopardize patients' health, harm taxpayers, and violate the public trust -- and this historic action is a clear warning to any company that chooses to break the law," said James M. Cole, Deputy Attorney General.
But to a massive operation like Glaxo, the fines amount to a speeding ticket. Admitting to meaningless criminal charges and paying penalties for poisoning consumers is just a cost of doing business.
What Glaxo Did to the Public
Paxil: For four years, Glaxo illegally promoted Paxil for treating depression in patients under age 18, even though the FDA has never approved this use. Glaxo helped in preparing, publishing and distributing a misleading medical journal article that misreported that a clinical trial of Paxil was effective in treating depression in patients under age 18, when the study failed to demonstrate efficacy. At the same time, the criminal pharma company hid data from two other studies in which Paxil also failed to help depression in minors.
Meanwhile, Glaxo sponsored dinner programs, lunch programs, spa programs and similar activities to promote the use of Paxil in children and adolescents. Glaxo paid a speaker to talk to an audience of doctors and paid for the meal or spa treatments for the doctors who attended. Glaxo agreed to plead guilty to misbranding Paxil in that its labeling was false and misleading regarding the use of Paxil for patients under 18.
Wellbutrin: For four years Glaxo promoted Wellbutrin, approved at that time only for Major Depressive Disorder, as a treatment for weight loss, sexual dysfunction, substance addictions and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, among other off-label uses. The executives at Glaxo paid millions to doctors to speak at and attend meetings, sometimes at lavish resorts, where the off-label uses of Wellbutrin were routinely promoted and also used sales representatives, sham advisory boards, and phony Continuing Medical Education (CME) programs to promote Wellbutrin for these unapproved uses. Glaxo has agreed to plead guilty to misbranding Wellbutrin in that its labeling did not bear adequate directions for these off-label uses.
Avandia: For six years Glaxo lied to the FDA about the safety of Avandia, a diabetes drug, in reports to the FDA that are meant to allow the agency to determine if a drug is safe. The missing information about the risk of heart failure and heart attacks included data regarding post-marketing studies, as well as data regarding two studies undertaken in response to European regulators' concerns about the cardiovascular safety of Avandia. Glaxo has agreed to plead guilty to failing to report data to the FDA and has agreed to pay a criminal fine of $242,612,800 for its unlawful conduct concerning Avandia.
Another criminal pharma company, Abbot Labs, just agreed to pay a pay $1.5 billion in a settlement involving the anti-seizure drug Depakote in May 2012. Abbot was illegally bribing pharmacists to recommend it to defenseless elderly dementia patients for improper uses.
The previous U.S. record for the largest financial penalty paid by a pharmaceutical company for illegal marketing of drugs is the $2.3 billion mark set by Pfizer and its subsidiaries in 2009.
Looking Out for Yourself
If you have taken any drug manufactured by Glaxo -- including Paxil, Wellbutrin or Avandia -- search online and read articles to determine whether you have suffered any of the dangerous side effects. The $3B fines are being paid to the government -- not individual consumers. If you believe you have been damaged by a Glaxo drug, contact a lawyer who has experience dealing with pharmaceutical companies. Pharma companies have vast funds and battalions of lawyers to fight consumer claims, and you should be sure your lawyer has the resources to take on a criminal drug company.
And before you go, leave a comment below about this article and the fines being levied against drug companies. Should pharma companies be given penalties that affect their bottom line? Should individual executives in charge of paying bribes be personally indicted? Tell us what you think.
Cross-posted from Lawyers.com.
Content concerning legal matters is for informational purposes only, and should not be relied upon in making legal decisions or assessing your legal risks. Always consult a licensed attorney in the appropriate jurisdiction before taking any course of action that may affect your legal rights.
Friday 6 July 2012
two weeks after Shane Clancy murder suicide - CCHR / Scientology were on the streets of Bray - FIDDAMAN
By Claire Murphy
Monday September 07 2009
A Church of Scientology-backed organisation has distributed free DVDs about anti-depressant drugs in the area where killer Shane Clancy lived.
The group, called the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), has given out copies of a documentary to residents in the Dalkey area, just weeks after the tragic murder-suicide in Bray.
Reports have indicated that gardai are investigating whether Shane, who murdered Seb Creane (22) before killing himself, may have misused anti-depressants that had been prescribed for him a week before the tragic night.
The DVD, which is also available online, details interviews with psychiatrists, psychologists, and journalists, exposing what it calls "psychiatric violations of human rights."
Making A Killing: The Untold Story Of Psychotropic Drugging is made in the US, but has been distributed in Ireland by a branch of the CCHR.
The DVD's tagline says it tells the "story of big-money drugs that fuel a $330bn psychiatric industry, without a single cure."
But since its release, one professional involved with the DVD has distanced himself from the CCHR.
Professor Howard Brody said that he believes anything produced by this organisation requires independent confirmation.
He said: "I regret very much allowing myself to have become involved in this project and would like it to be known that I disown and disapprove of the final product and the way that it has been disseminated."
One expert witness at the Columbine shootings has contacted the Herald to say that Shane Clancy may have reacted negatively to anti-depressants, affecting his state of mind at the time of the attack.
The executive director of the International Coalition for Drug Awareness, Dr Ann Tracy, believes that Shane may have lacked vital liver function necessary to metabolise anti-depressants.
The US-based doctor pointed out that if levels of anti-depressant in Shane's blood were high, it does not necessarily mean that he was taking more than he should have.
She said: "It can mean that he, like seven to 10pc of the population, lacked the liver function necessary to break down the drug causing it to build to toxic levels."
CCHR spokesman Brian Daniels said the DVD was intended to "let the public know what is going on."
He said: "There are undiagnosed physical conditions which can manifest as mental illness."
clairemurphy@herald.ie
Monday September 07 2009
A Church of Scientology-backed organisation has distributed free DVDs about anti-depressant drugs in the area where killer Shane Clancy lived.
The group, called the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), has given out copies of a documentary to residents in the Dalkey area, just weeks after the tragic murder-suicide in Bray.
Reports have indicated that gardai are investigating whether Shane, who murdered Seb Creane (22) before killing himself, may have misused anti-depressants that had been prescribed for him a week before the tragic night.
The DVD, which is also available online, details interviews with psychiatrists, psychologists, and journalists, exposing what it calls "psychiatric violations of human rights."
Making A Killing: The Untold Story Of Psychotropic Drugging is made in the US, but has been distributed in Ireland by a branch of the CCHR.
The DVD's tagline says it tells the "story of big-money drugs that fuel a $330bn psychiatric industry, without a single cure."
But since its release, one professional involved with the DVD has distanced himself from the CCHR.
Professor Howard Brody said that he believes anything produced by this organisation requires independent confirmation.
He said: "I regret very much allowing myself to have become involved in this project and would like it to be known that I disown and disapprove of the final product and the way that it has been disseminated."
One expert witness at the Columbine shootings has contacted the Herald to say that Shane Clancy may have reacted negatively to anti-depressants, affecting his state of mind at the time of the attack.
The executive director of the International Coalition for Drug Awareness, Dr Ann Tracy, believes that Shane may have lacked vital liver function necessary to metabolise anti-depressants.
The US-based doctor pointed out that if levels of anti-depressant in Shane's blood were high, it does not necessarily mean that he was taking more than he should have.
She said: "It can mean that he, like seven to 10pc of the population, lacked the liver function necessary to break down the drug causing it to build to toxic levels."
CCHR spokesman Brian Daniels said the DVD was intended to "let the public know what is going on."
He said: "There are undiagnosed physical conditions which can manifest as mental illness."
clairemurphy@herald.ie
Cipramil citalopram murder ? - Shane Clancy "stalked" victim Seb Creane, mother claims - FIDDAMAN
Creanes angry at 'gruesome, futile' inquests
http://www.independent.ie/national-news/courts/creanes-angry-at-gruesome-futile-inquests-2168553.html
THE family of Sebastian Creane have accused his killer's family of being in denial about his motives.
In a statement read out after the inquest at Wicklow District Court yesterday into the death of their 22-year-old son, the Creanes described the inquest process as "gruesome and futile" and said they ought to have been allowed ask questions at last month's inquest into the death of Shane Clancy, who stabbed Mr Creane to death at the family home in Bray, Co Wicklow, on August 16 last year.
Clancy, who later killed himself, targeted Mr Creane because he was dating Jennifer Hannigan, whom Clancy had split from earlier last year.
"Everything that took place on August 16 was known before the day was out. Nonetheless we have had to worry about and endure the gruesome and futile ritual of two coroners' inquests, which have done nothing to advance knowledge of the facts," Mr Creane's parents, Nuala and James, and brother Dylan said in their statement.
They said they wanted to challenge the "assumption" that Shane stabbed Mr Creane, his brother and Ms Hannigan as a result of prescribed medication.
"Let us not forget what happened here. Seb was stalked by a person who, having manoeuvred his way into our home, left, armed himself and returned sometime later to complete his objective.
"By playing on Seb's better nature, he once again gained access to the house, killed Seb, attempted to kill Jen and then Dylan before withdrawing to kill himself.
"We cannot comprehend that an attempt was made to ascribe fault to prescribed medication without any corresponding attempt being made to consider all other factors.
"Healing for all parties will inevitably be difficult, but no true healing can ever be founded on denial."
Mr Creane was fatally attacked by Clancy, also 22, at his home in Cuala Grove, Bray.
Dylan Creane was repeatedly stabbed, as was Ms Hannigan. Clancy then turned the knife on himself.
Depressed
An inquest into Clancy's death last month heard how he had initiated a split from Ms Hannigan, from Dalkey, Dublin, in April and, despite remaining friends, he became depressed.
He wanted them to get back together but she did not. In July, he was prescribed anti-depressant Cipramil, and, according to his mother, became agitated, and tried to take his own life.
He was found with 3.1mg of Cipramil in his blood, which is 15 times the upper therapeutic dose and a level described as between toxic and lethal.
The jury rejected an option of death by suicide and returned an open verdict, adding that Clancy had died by self-inflicted injuries.
Clancy's mother, Leonie Fennell, last night said she didn't want to make a statement as there has been enough hurt caused already.
"There's nothing I can say except that they didn't know Shane," she told the Irish Independent. "And we wouldn't have gotten an open verdict (if we were wrong). They're (Creane family) very hurt and I don't want to cause any more hurt."
- Edel Kennedy
Irish Independent
http://www.independent.ie/national-news/courts/creanes-angry-at-gruesome-futile-inquests-2168553.html
THE family of Sebastian Creane have accused his killer's family of being in denial about his motives.
In a statement read out after the inquest at Wicklow District Court yesterday into the death of their 22-year-old son, the Creanes described the inquest process as "gruesome and futile" and said they ought to have been allowed ask questions at last month's inquest into the death of Shane Clancy, who stabbed Mr Creane to death at the family home in Bray, Co Wicklow, on August 16 last year.
Clancy, who later killed himself, targeted Mr Creane because he was dating Jennifer Hannigan, whom Clancy had split from earlier last year.
"Everything that took place on August 16 was known before the day was out. Nonetheless we have had to worry about and endure the gruesome and futile ritual of two coroners' inquests, which have done nothing to advance knowledge of the facts," Mr Creane's parents, Nuala and James, and brother Dylan said in their statement.
They said they wanted to challenge the "assumption" that Shane stabbed Mr Creane, his brother and Ms Hannigan as a result of prescribed medication.
"Let us not forget what happened here. Seb was stalked by a person who, having manoeuvred his way into our home, left, armed himself and returned sometime later to complete his objective.
"By playing on Seb's better nature, he once again gained access to the house, killed Seb, attempted to kill Jen and then Dylan before withdrawing to kill himself.
"We cannot comprehend that an attempt was made to ascribe fault to prescribed medication without any corresponding attempt being made to consider all other factors.
"Healing for all parties will inevitably be difficult, but no true healing can ever be founded on denial."
Mr Creane was fatally attacked by Clancy, also 22, at his home in Cuala Grove, Bray.
Dylan Creane was repeatedly stabbed, as was Ms Hannigan. Clancy then turned the knife on himself.
Depressed
An inquest into Clancy's death last month heard how he had initiated a split from Ms Hannigan, from Dalkey, Dublin, in April and, despite remaining friends, he became depressed.
He wanted them to get back together but she did not. In July, he was prescribed anti-depressant Cipramil, and, according to his mother, became agitated, and tried to take his own life.
He was found with 3.1mg of Cipramil in his blood, which is 15 times the upper therapeutic dose and a level described as between toxic and lethal.
The jury rejected an option of death by suicide and returned an open verdict, adding that Clancy had died by self-inflicted injuries.
Clancy's mother, Leonie Fennell, last night said she didn't want to make a statement as there has been enough hurt caused already.
"There's nothing I can say except that they didn't know Shane," she told the Irish Independent. "And we wouldn't have gotten an open verdict (if we were wrong). They're (Creane family) very hurt and I don't want to cause any more hurt."
- Edel Kennedy
Irish Independent
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