2008- Two Coroners strike blows for the truth. 89 deaths from SSRI in Afghanistan

[Guest guest]

http://paulflynnmp.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/03/coroners-rampan.html

March 18, 2008

Coroners rampant

SSRI's

suicide link-again,

Two Coroners strike blows for the

truth. One has been hammered by a Minister out to silence him.

South Cumbria coroner Ian will contact drug authorities

because he fears people are killing themselves after taking

antidepressants.

Mr Nigel Woodburn drove into a tree just four days after being

prescribed

antidepressants. He was killed at the wheel of his car on June 16,

minutes after confessing to his wife he’d had suicidal thoughts.

He had been prescribed Citalopram after becoming depressed through

ill health. His heart-broken family said they were not aware of

the suicide risks associated with antidepressants until the issue

was highlighted at Mr Woodburn’s inquest this week.

Mr told Tuesday’s inquest he knew of several other

suspected suicides involving the same group of antidepressants,

known as selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs).

He said: “I have to say this is probably the fifth, if

not sixth inquest I’ve heard within a period of three years when

somebody either just going on to Citalopram or Seroxat, or

coming off it, have killed themselves one way or another,

totally out of the blue, totally without expectation, without a

history of suicidal thoughts in the past.”

Mr said “I think what happened to Mr Woodburn was in part

as a result of the drugs he was taking. There has been publicity

about these drugs recently, particularly relating to younger

adults, and it does seem to me it’s something that needs to be

highlighted.”

The Wiltshire coroner has

stirred the wrath of defence secretary, Des Browne. He has

gone to the high court in an attempt to prevent coroners

criticizing the Ministry of Defence during military inquests.

Government lawyers

yesterday presented papers to the Royal Courts of Justice

asking for a court order banning coroners from accusing the

MoD of "serious failings" when recording verdicts on service

personnel deaths.

The defence secretary claimed the phrase was tantamount to

blaming the government for the deaths of servicemen and might

be used against the MoD by families seeking to sue for

compensation. Des, what are you doing? Who sent the soldiers

into a mission impossible in Helmand? Who said he hoped that

the Helmand Mission would ‘be over in three years without a

shot being fired.’ It was the Government who cannot be

exonerated for the blame for their deaths.

Relatives of servicemen

and women killed in Iraq and Afghanistan condemned the

government for hampering inquests but Masters, the

Wiltshire coroner, said he and his colleagues would not be

"deflected from conducting full, frank and fearless inquiries

into deaths they are entrusted to investigate – those of

people serving their country when they are killed abroad".

"If something needs to be

said, I'll say it," he added. While parliament is still

reluctant to face the truth on the 89 deaths from SSRI in

Afghanistan, coroners are doing our work.

Imposing a gag on

them would be an outrage.

[Guest guest]

http://paulflynnmp.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/03/coroners-rampan.html

March 18, 2008

Coroners rampant

SSRI's

suicide link-again,

Two Coroners strike blows for the

truth. One has been hammered by a Minister out to silence him.

South Cumbria coroner Ian will contact drug authorities

because he fears people are killing themselves after taking

antidepressants.

Mr Nigel Woodburn drove into a tree just four days after being

prescribed

antidepressants. He was killed at the wheel of his car on June 16,

minutes after confessing to his wife he’d had suicidal thoughts.

He had been prescribed Citalopram after becoming depressed through

ill health. His heart-broken family said they were not aware of

the suicide risks associated with antidepressants until the issue

was highlighted at Mr Woodburn’s inquest this week.

Mr told Tuesday’s inquest he knew of several other

suspected suicides involving the same group of antidepressants,

known as selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs).

He said: “I have to say this is probably the fifth, if

not sixth inquest I’ve heard within a period of three years when

somebody either just going on to Citalopram or Seroxat, or

coming off it, have killed themselves one way or another,

totally out of the blue, totally without expectation, without a

history of suicidal thoughts in the past.”

Mr said “I think what happened to Mr Woodburn was in part

as a result of the drugs he was taking. There has been publicity

about these drugs recently, particularly relating to younger

adults, and it does seem to me it’s something that needs to be

highlighted.”

The Wiltshire coroner has

stirred the wrath of defence secretary, Des Browne. He has

gone to the high court in an attempt to prevent coroners

criticizing the Ministry of Defence during military inquests.

Government lawyers

yesterday presented papers to the Royal Courts of Justice

asking for a court order banning coroners from accusing the

MoD of "serious failings" when recording verdicts on service

personnel deaths.

The defence secretary claimed the phrase was tantamount to

blaming the government for the deaths of servicemen and might

be used against the MoD by families seeking to sue for

compensation. Des, what are you doing? Who sent the soldiers

into a mission impossible in Helmand? Who said he hoped that

the Helmand Mission would ‘be over in three years without a

shot being fired.’ It was the Government who cannot be

exonerated for the blame for their deaths.

Relatives of servicemen

and women killed in Iraq and Afghanistan condemned the

government for hampering inquests but Masters, the

Wiltshire coroner, said he and his colleagues would not be

"deflected from conducting full, frank and fearless inquiries

into deaths they are entrusted to investigate – those of

people serving their country when they are killed abroad".

"If something needs to be

said, I'll say it," he added. While parliament is still

reluctant to face the truth on the 89 deaths from SSRI in

Afghanistan, coroners are doing our work.

Imposing a gag on

them would be an outrage.

[Guest guest]

http://paulflynnmp.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/03/coroners-rampan.html

March 18, 2008

Coroners rampant

SSRI's

suicide link-again,

Two Coroners strike blows for the

truth. One has been hammered by a Minister out to silence him.

South Cumbria coroner Ian will contact drug authorities

because he fears people are killing themselves after taking

antidepressants.

Mr Nigel Woodburn drove into a tree just four days after being

prescribed

antidepressants. He was killed at the wheel of his car on June 16,

minutes after confessing to his wife he’d had suicidal thoughts.

He had been prescribed Citalopram after becoming depressed through

ill health. His heart-broken family said they were not aware of

the suicide risks associated with antidepressants until the issue

was highlighted at Mr Woodburn’s inquest this week.

Mr told Tuesday’s inquest he knew of several other

suspected suicides involving the same group of antidepressants,

known as selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs).

He said: “I have to say this is probably the fifth, if

not sixth inquest I’ve heard within a period of three years when

somebody either just going on to Citalopram or Seroxat, or

coming off it, have killed themselves one way or another,

totally out of the blue, totally without expectation, without a

history of suicidal thoughts in the past.”

Mr said “I think what happened to Mr Woodburn was in part

as a result of the drugs he was taking. There has been publicity

about these drugs recently, particularly relating to younger

adults, and it does seem to me it’s something that needs to be

highlighted.”

The Wiltshire coroner has

stirred the wrath of defence secretary, Des Browne. He has

gone to the high court in an attempt to prevent coroners

criticizing the Ministry of Defence during military inquests.

Government lawyers

yesterday presented papers to the Royal Courts of Justice

asking for a court order banning coroners from accusing the

MoD of "serious failings" when recording verdicts on service

personnel deaths.

The defence secretary claimed the phrase was tantamount to

blaming the government for the deaths of servicemen and might

be used against the MoD by families seeking to sue for

compensation. Des, what are you doing? Who sent the soldiers

into a mission impossible in Helmand? Who said he hoped that

the Helmand Mission would ‘be over in three years without a

shot being fired.’ It was the Government who cannot be

exonerated for the blame for their deaths.

Relatives of servicemen

and women killed in Iraq and Afghanistan condemned the

government for hampering inquests but Masters, the

Wiltshire coroner, said he and his colleagues would not be

"deflected from conducting full, frank and fearless inquiries

into deaths they are entrusted to investigate – those of

people serving their country when they are killed abroad".

"If something needs to be

said, I'll say it," he added. While parliament is still

reluctant to face the truth on the 89 deaths from SSRI in

Afghanistan, coroners are doing our work.

Imposing a gag on

them would be an outrage.

[Guest guest]

http://paulflynnmp.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/03/coroners-rampan.html

March 18, 2008

Coroners rampant

SSRI's

suicide link-again,

Two Coroners strike blows for the

truth. One has been hammered by a Minister out to silence him.

South Cumbria coroner Ian will contact drug authorities

because he fears people are killing themselves after taking

antidepressants.

Mr Nigel Woodburn drove into a tree just four days after being

prescribed

antidepressants. He was killed at the wheel of his car on June 16,

minutes after confessing to his wife he’d had suicidal thoughts.

He had been prescribed Citalopram after becoming depressed through

ill health. His heart-broken family said they were not aware of

the suicide risks associated with antidepressants until the issue

was highlighted at Mr Woodburn’s inquest this week.

Mr told Tuesday’s inquest he knew of several other

suspected suicides involving the same group of antidepressants,

known as selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs).

He said: “I have to say this is probably the fifth, if

not sixth inquest I’ve heard within a period of three years when

somebody either just going on to Citalopram or Seroxat, or

coming off it, have killed themselves one way or another,

totally out of the blue, totally without expectation, without a

history of suicidal thoughts in the past.”

Mr said “I think what happened to Mr Woodburn was in part

as a result of the drugs he was taking. There has been publicity

about these drugs recently, particularly relating to younger

adults, and it does seem to me it’s something that needs to be

highlighted.”

The Wiltshire coroner has

stirred the wrath of defence secretary, Des Browne. He has

gone to the high court in an attempt to prevent coroners

criticizing the Ministry of Defence during military inquests.

Government lawyers

yesterday presented papers to the Royal Courts of Justice

asking for a court order banning coroners from accusing the

MoD of "serious failings" when recording verdicts on service

personnel deaths.

The defence secretary claimed the phrase was tantamount to

blaming the government for the deaths of servicemen and might

be used against the MoD by families seeking to sue for

compensation. Des, what are you doing? Who sent the soldiers

into a mission impossible in Helmand? Who said he hoped that

the Helmand Mission would ‘be over in three years without a

shot being fired.’ It was the Government who cannot be

exonerated for the blame for their deaths.

Relatives of servicemen

and women killed in Iraq and Afghanistan condemned the

government for hampering inquests but Masters, the

Wiltshire coroner, said he and his colleagues would not be

"deflected from conducting full, frank and fearless inquiries

into deaths they are entrusted to investigate – those of

people serving their country when they are killed abroad".

"If something needs to be

said, I'll say it," he added. While parliament is still

reluctant to face the truth on the 89 deaths from SSRI in

Afghanistan, coroners are doing our work.

Imposing a gag on

them would be an outrage.