Board members Wendy Dolin, Lena Dolin and Nikki Carvelli presented the MISSD akathisia presentation to first responders at the Wheaton Police Department. MISSD was present at the 6:40 am and 2:40 pm roll call. We are so grateful to the first responders who attended our program; they are on the front lines dealing with many crisis interventions. We were excited by the engaging conversations that will no doubt lead to spreading the word about akathisia and alerting professionals on what to look for and how to react. It was a true honor to be among such dedicated men and women. A special thanks goes to Sergeant Ryan Conway for facilitating this training session.

A huge and grateful thank you to all of our supporters who laughed and cried with us at this year’s annual MISSD fundraiser at the Montgomery Club in Chicago on October 12th. The turnout, silent auction and awareness-building were all great successes. Here’s to another influential and impactful year ahead!

If you haven’t seen our video about akathisia, please check it out; it’s just about a minute long!

Today is World Benzodiazepine Awareness Day, a day that seeks to raise global awareness about Benzo dependence. These drugs can cause adverse effects as well as intense withdrawal symptoms, which can potentially last for years.

MISSD is not anti-drug but supports awareness of some of the dangers associated with Benzo medications, as they have been associated with akathisia.

For more information, visit http://w-bad.org, which has handouts, events, videos and much more for both lay people and professionals. You can also get involved on social media.

Have you or a loved one experienced a side effect of withdrawal symptom from a Benzo drug? Let us know here or email us privately if you’d like to share your story.

We are so excited to announce that MISSD founder Wendy Dolin won her lawsuit last week against the pharmaceutical company GSK. The jury heard six weeks of testimony and found that it was dangerous drug reaction akathisia that led to Wendy’s husband Stewart’s death. We are so grateful to our supporters for raising awareness about this deadly side effect of many medications. This is even more validation for us to continue this important work.

For more information about the trial, read below.

https://www.baumhedlundlaw.com/press-releases/

MISSD board members Marcey Berman and Wendy Dolin attended a MISSD sponsored event, “You Will Never Walk Alone,” on March 3rd with K9s for Veterans. The nonprofit organization we are thrilled to collaborate with trains and presents service dogs to veterans suffering from PTSD. Mike Tellerino, founder of K9s for Veterans, thought that the message of MISSD was an important one for veterans because so many vets are being given record numbers of medications and are unknowingly experiencing (or have lost their lives to) akathisia. Wendy spoke to more than 400 attendees who were very appreciative to learn about MISSD’s mission. Thanks to so many generous people who devote their time and funds to MISSD, we are able to support and attend events like this one.

For more information on K9s for Veterans, visit http://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/making-a-difference/canines-for-veterans-415370233.html

MISSD founder Wendy Dolin (with director Jenna Sachman and board members Cindy Klinger and Jeff Dritz, shown here) presented about her story and akathisia to some of Loyola’s School of Social Work grad students yesterday. The topic and discussion were well-received by the students, who were interested in learning more so they could take the information to their internship sites. Special thanks to Dr. Marcia Spira for allowing MISSD to bring awareness to this important topic!

Please mark your calendars for the next MISSD event!

September marks Suicide Awareness Month and The Medication-Induced Suicide Education Foundation in Memory of Stewart Dolin (MISSD) will hold its 2nd Annual Fundraising Event.

The event is on Thursday, September 4, 2014, from 6:30 pm- 9:30 pm, at Park West, 322 West Armitage Avenue, Chicago, Illinois. The evening will be educational, but fun-filled with appetizers, cocktails and raffles. Tickets are $50 (35 years and under) or $125 (36 years and over). To purchase tickets please go to missd.eventbrite.com.

Two years ago, MISSD was founded in Stewart Dolin’s memory to raise awareness and educate the public about the dangers of medication-induced suicide and akathisia.  MISSD is not an anti-drug organization, rather we look to raise awareness about potential side effects and better monitoring of patients who have recently started or stopped a medication, specifically a Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI) medication.

MISSD has made many strides towards reaching these objectives by reaching out to the public by attending and participating in related conferences and walks, developing a brochure and more. We are in the midst of putting together an educational presentation to present at schools, hospitals, and other related venues.

To learn more about our organization, please visit www.missd.co.

MISSD is a sponsor of Chicagoland Out of the Darkness Walk, which will be held on 10/26/2013 at Arvey Field (Museum Campus), Columbus Drive, Chicago IL from 11am-2pm.

Find out more here.