Welcome to the Mad in America podcast, your source for science, psychiatry and social justice.

Hello, this is James and welcome to the Madden America podcast. And this week we interview

Wendy Dolan, founder of the MIST Foundation. MIST stands for

medication-induced suicide prevention and education foundation in memory of Stuart Dolan.

Stuart Dolan had the perfect life. He was married to his high school sweetheart for 42 years.

He was the father of two grown

children with whom he had a very close and meaningful relationship. He was a senior partner of a

large international law firm managing hundreds of corporate lawyers. He was 57 years old and high on life.

In the summer of 2010, Stuart developed some anxiety regarding work.

He was prescribed Paxil paroxetine, a selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor. Within days,

Stuart's anxiety became worse, he felt restless, had trouble sleeping, he kept saying,

I still feel so anxious. On July the 15th, 2010, just six days

after beginning the medication, following a regular lunch with a business associate, Stuart left

his office and walked to a nearby train platform. A registered nurse who was also on the platform

later reported seeing Stuart pacing back and forth and looking very agitated.

As a train approached, Stuart took his own life. This happy, fun-loving, dedicated husband and father

who love life left no note and no logical reason why he would suddenly want to end it all.

Neither Paxil nor the generic version listed suicidal behaviour as a

potential side effect for men of Stuart's age. MIST is a unique non-profit organisation

dedicated to honouring the memory of Stuart and others by raising awareness and educating the public

about the dangers of acathesia. MIST aims to ensure that people suffering from acetheia's symptoms are accurately diagnosed so

that needless deaths are prevented.

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