UK - Man slashes wifes throat | USA - Man hangs self - both on antidepressants

[Guest guest]

I worry that these things will become so common that people will not remember a time before when this was uncommon. Jim

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/connecticut/ny-bc-ct--wifeslashed0625jun25,0,5093589.story

Plea deal for Milford man who slashed wife's throat

June 25, 2008

sentencing date. FIXES headline. SUBS 4th graf to DELETE garble. MILFORD, Conn. (AP) _ A Milford man has accepted a plea deal that could send him to prison for 16 years for slashing his wife's throat after she filed for divorce. Police say that in August of 2006, 46-year-old Schultz slit his wife's throat with a utility knife and tried to choke her to death. Schultz had been charged with attempted murder, but he pleaded to a lesser charge of first-degree assault in Milford Superior Court on Tuesday. Sentencing is set for Aug. 22.

Schultz's public defender says a reason for the attack could have been a change in Schultz's antidepressant medication. Donna Sheehan suffered a 6-inch gash in her throat and had to have a breathing tube inserted by doctors at Yale-New Haven Hospital, but managed to survive the attack by Schultz in her home.

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2008/06/25/man-found-on-mountainside-committed-suicide-91466-21149943/

Man found on mountainside committed suicide

Jun 25 2008 WalesOnline

A FATHER hanged himself at the spot where a bird of prey he owned was buried a year previously, an inquest heard today.

ie Hemming, 36, was reported missing by girlfriend Tammy after jumping out of her car following a row during a supermarket shopping trip with their 18-month-old daughter, and her two other children.

Mr Hemming, a mechanic who was out of work due to mental health problems, later contacted Ms by text message asking her to drop off £100 and a folder of documents to his home in Dan-y-Graig Terrace, Blaenllechau, south Wales. She did so, and he later telephoned her saying he was going to see a friend in Hereford.

But Ms became concerned when, in the early hours of the next day, September 21 2007, she received a text message reading: “I’m sorry. I will always love you and the girls xxxx.”

He then asked 30-year-old Ms to contact his best friend, named only as Carl, the inquest in Miskin, south Wales, heard.

She continued to try calling her partner, and contacted his relatives, but was unable to trace him.

Carl then visited Ms , showing her a text message from Mr Hemming on his mobile phone which read: “Tell Tammy and the girls I love them very much.

“Tell them not to worry – I’m with Gloria.”

In a statement read to the inquest, Ms said she then knew immediately where Mr Hemming was. She said Gloria was her partner’s hawk, who had been buried in a picturesque spot on a mountainside at Llanwonno a year previously.

She said in her statement that at the time, Mr Hemming said if he ever committed suicide “that’s where I would do it”.

Ms contacted police again and they went to Llanwonno, where Mr Hemmings’ body was found hanging from a tree.

The inquest heard Mr Hemming had a troubled relationship with Ms , and that his mother started court proceedings before his death over access to her granddaughter.

Mr Hemming was taking antidepressants and had previously taken an overdose of painkillers. Codeine was found in his blood after his death, but only at a therapeutic level, a pathologist said.

Coroner Philip Walters recorded a verdict of suicide saying: “It’s very difficult in these circumstances to understand why somebody goes along this route, and does what they do.

“You never really seem to get to the bottom of it.

“Minor arguments tend to turn into big things with people, and family relationships break down over trivial things.”

Members of Mr Hemmings’ family attended the inquest but were too upset to speak about his death.

[Guest guest]

Although our now dismissed lawsuit was filed before many of the current warnings

were issued, I can attest to the hell that trying to sue these bastards can be.

The first burden of proof in a suicide or homicide case is on the plaintiff. You

must show that the victim/perpetrator was not already disposed towards the

action they eventually took. In my son's case, he had written about his feelings

of hopelessness and anger in the journal that his psychologist told him to keep

in the weeks preceding him starting to take effexor xr. That was enough for a

judge to say that there was not enough reason to place blame on the drug. This

ruling was after the black box warning was added but my son died before the

warning. The judge did allow our attorneys to present the data on effexor being

the worst of the SS/NRIs but said that the doctor could not have been expected

to know at the time. A " Dear Colleague " letter was issued in August 2003, 3

weeks before B.J. Died but by that time, he wasn't showing up for his

appointments. Even my frantic calls to the shrink and psychologist were

discounted.

In the time leading up to this decision, we went through hell. We were expected

to list every relative, teacher, coach, religious/spiritual adviser, friend,

employer, doctor, co-worker, etc. that he had spoken to or had any contact with

in the year before his death and their addresses and phone numbers. Our credit ,

employment, and driving/police records were pulled (nothing more than a couple

of my husband's speeding tickets but still invasive). Our daughter and B.J.'s

fiancee were grilled by our attorneys so there wouldn't be any surprise

revelations if and when they were deposed. It was 2 years of hell and pain.

It was almost a relief when the judge dismissed the case in a preliminary

hearing.

Our system is run by morons.

Terry

[Guest guest]

Jim, I've had the same thoughts. I think that to some extent this has

already happened. It is a vicious circle with the drug companies

declaring these activities are manifestations of mental illness,

particularly bipolar, and therefore need more treatment.

What is most amazing is that even as the Internet is educating a new

generation of potential patients to the dangers of SSRIs,

psychiatrists are the least educated, least intelligent and and most

resistant to having a real understanding of these drugs.

I spoke to a woman this week who was having serious withdrawal

problems. Her psychiatrist said that, to date, he has never seen SSRI

withdrawal. This could only be true of a person who makes no

independent observations and relies on pharma to tell him what to see

and relies on the APA for a pat on the head for 'doing what they are

told to do.'

This can only change if more psychiatrists are sued. An alternative to

litigation is a well worded complaint to the state medical board which

forces the psychiatrist to answer to the complaint in detail. Since

the manufacturer now notes addiction and suicide as side effects, the

onus is on the doctor to deal with this properly. Every psychiatrist

who prescribes a drug for a 'chemical imbalance' should be forced to

explain their delusion publicly. Litigation is the only other source

that will tell psychiatrists what they are supposed to see and to do.

>

>

> I worry that these things will become so common that people will not

remember a time before when this was uncommon. Jim

>

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/connecticut/ny-bc-ct--wifeslashed0625jun2\

5,0,5093589.story

> Plea deal for Milford man who slashed wife's throat

> June 25, 2008

> sentencing date. FIXES headline. SUBS 4th graf to DELETE garble.

>

> MILFORD, Conn. (AP) _ A Milford man has accepted a plea deal that

could send him to prison for 16 years for slashing his wife's throat

after she filed for divorce.

>

> Police say that in August of 2006, 46-year-old Schultz slit

his wife's throat with a utility knife and tried to choke her to death.

>

> Schultz had been charged with attempted murder, but he pleaded to a

lesser charge of first-degree assault in Milford Superior Court on

Tuesday. Sentencing is set for Aug. 22.

>

>

>

> Schultz's public defender says a reason for the attack could have

been a change in Schultz's antidepressant medication.

>

> Donna Sheehan suffered a 6-inch gash in her throat and had to have a

breathing tube inserted by doctors at Yale-New Haven Hospital, but

managed to survive the attack by Schultz in her home.

>

>

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2008/06/25/man-found-on-mountainsid\

e-committed-suicide-91466-21149943/

> Man found on mountainside committed suicide

> Jun 25 2008 WalesOnline

>

> A FATHER hanged himself at the spot where a bird of prey he owned

was buried a year previously, an inquest heard today.

>

> ie Hemming, 36, was reported missing by girlfriend Tammy

after jumping out of her car following a row during a supermarket

shopping trip with their 18-month-old daughter, and her two other

children.

>

> Mr Hemming, a mechanic who was out of work due to mental health

problems, later contacted Ms by text message asking her to drop

off £100 and a folder of documents to his home in Dan-y-Graig Terrace,

Blaenllechau, south Wales. She did so, and he later telephoned her

saying he was going to see a friend in Hereford.

>

> But Ms became concerned when, in the early hours of the next

day, September 21 2007, she received a text message reading: " I'm

sorry. I will always love you and the girls xxxx. "

>

> He then asked 30-year-old Ms to contact his best friend, named

only as Carl, the inquest in Miskin, south Wales, heard.

>

> She continued to try calling her partner, and contacted his

relatives, but was unable to trace him.

>

> Carl then visited Ms , showing her a text message from Mr

Hemming on his mobile phone which read: " Tell Tammy and the girls I

love them very much.

>

> " Tell them not to worry – I'm with Gloria. "

>

> In a statement read to the inquest, Ms said she then knew

immediately where Mr Hemming was. She said Gloria was her partner's

hawk, who had been buried in a picturesque spot on a

mountainside at Llanwonno a year previously.

>

> She said in her statement that at the time, Mr Hemming said if he

ever committed suicide " that's where I would do it " .

>

> Ms contacted police again and they went to Llanwonno, where Mr

Hemmings' body was found hanging from a tree.

>

> The inquest heard Mr Hemming had a troubled relationship with Ms

, and that his mother started court proceedings before his death

over access to her granddaughter.

>

> Mr Hemming was taking antidepressants and had previously taken an

overdose of painkillers. Codeine was found in his blood after his

death, but only at a therapeutic level, a pathologist said.

>

> Coroner Philip Walters recorded a verdict of suicide saying: " It's

very difficult in these circumstances to understand why somebody goes

along this route, and does what they do.

>

> " You never really seem to get to the bottom of it.

>

> " Minor arguments tend to turn into big things with people, and

family relationships break down over trivial things. "

>

> Members of Mr Hemmings' family attended the inquest but were too

upset to speak about his death.

>