MISSD is pleased to partner with No Shame on U and Jewish Family Community Services, Chicago, to present a meaningful workshop for those touched by suicide. The event is open to all and will feature a small-group setting to discuss how grief can manifest itself after a suicide death. We will also explore effective strategies for coping. Participants will be given time to share their experiences and learn from others who have gone through the same type of loss.

To register, please contact Elizabeth Siegel Cohen, LCSW, FT at JCFS Chicago at (847) 745-5404 or elizabethcohen@jcfs.org

MISSD is pleased to see research supporting the need for close monitoring when discontinuing SSRIs such as Prozac, Zoloft and Paxil. Consumers should work closely with their prescribers to carefully taper drug dosage.

For more info, see https://inews.co.uk/news/citalopram-sertraline-people-coming-off-antidepressants-quickly/

Director of the National Cancer Institute and a career scientist, Norman “Ned” Sharpless, is named as interim head of the Food and Drug Administration.

For more info, see http://fortune.com/2019/03/12/fda-interim-chief-lifetime-scientist-nci-director-ned-sharpless/

Scott Gottlieb, U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner, recently resigned his position. Gottlieb stated he is resigning because he wants to spend more time with his family.

See: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-fda-gottlieb/fda-chief-gottlieb-resigns-idUSKCN1QM2GZ

New research shows doctors can misunderstand and misdiagnose withdrawal symptoms when patients try to stop taking SSRIs such as Paxil, Zoloft and Prozac. Insomnia, lack of appetite and increased anxiety can be symptoms of withdrawal that doctors mistake as signs of other illnesses.

For more info, see: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/05/health/depression-withdrawal-drugs.html?action=click&module=Well&pgtype=Homepage&section=Health

A recent 60 Minutes news program features former FDA commissioner discussing the FDA’s mistakes regarding the opioid epidemic.

See https://www.cbsnews.com/news/former-fda-commissioner-says-agency-erred-in-allowing-drug-companies-to-promote-opioids-for-long-term-use-60-minutes/?fbclid=IwAR2mpwSSD8foJJFiINQm-Voz4xFFjKwWwrZPsOhEKC6hZXgU0U_mBCwHZGU

U.S. politicians are showing increased concern about truth in pharmaceutical marketing as it pertains to America’s current opioid epidemic.

For more info, see: https://www.unionleader.com/news/politics/national/sen-hassan-grills-pharma-executive-over-marketing-of-powerful-opioids/article_9428eeda-936c-5efc-b645-8a15aba89445.html

A formal claim will be made against GlaxoSmithKline by more than 20 people in the Netherlands who used Seroxat (paroxetine) in their youth. (GSK sells paroxetine as Paxil in America.)  The group states GSK failed to inform them about the serious psychological side effects of the drug, including aggressive behavior and an increased risk of suicide. These adverse drug effects were apparently not listed on GSK’s Seroxat label at the time these teens were given the drug.

See: https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2019/02/dutch-seroxat-teen-users-to-sue-drug-maker-for-side-effects/

MISSD Board member, Kim Witzack, discusses the recent FDA approval of esketamine, a nasal spray to be marketed as an antidepressant. Witzack serves as a consumer representative on the FDA Advisory Committee. The FDA reviewed only one positive clinical trial before approving the drug.

See: https://www.madinamerica.com/2019/02/nasal-spray-for-depression/

The Human Givens Institute provides an informative podcast with psychotherapist Marion Brown who sheds light on adverse drug effects. MISSD sincerely appreciates Brown’s reference to our work. Listen at: https://www.hgi.org.uk/resources/podcasts/why-antidepressants-need-be-understood