Suicide Antidepressant 02/03/2005 England 21 Year Old Given Med for 'Irritable Bowel': Kills Self
 
 Summary:<br><br><!--StartFragment -->Paragraph 2 &amp; 3 read: &quot;A student at Durham University, 21-year-old James Hirst had suffered from an <strong>irritable bowel</strong> since 2002.<br />B<strong>ut extensive hospital tests failed to show what was causing the problem, and doctors thought depression might be a factor.&quot;<br /><br /></strong>&quot;A<strong>nti-depressants were prescribed</strong>, including a controversial drug called <strong>venlafaxine [Effexor]</strong>, which has been claimed to increase the risk of suicide.&quot;<br /><br /><a href="http://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=845&amp;ArticleID=959703">http://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=845&amp;ArticleID=959703<br /><br /></a>TRAGEDY: Student found hanging from tree<br />A FATHER who went looking for his son after he failed to return home found him hanging from a tree.<br />A student at Durham University, 21-year-old James Hirst had suffered from an irritable bowel since 2002.<br />But extensive hospital tests failed to show what was causing the problem, and doctors thought depression might be a factor.<br /><br />Anti-depressants were prescribed, including a controversial drug called venlafaxine, which has been claimed to increase the risk of suicide.<br />But, while doctors treating James, of Home Farm, Main Road, Uffington, near Stamford, suspected depression, he blamed feeling down on his physical condition.<br /><br />At an inquest held at Stamford Town Hall, James&#39;s father, Philip, described how he came to find his son&#39;s body on December 18, last year.<br /><br />He said: &quot;James went out at about 7.30pm in his car saying he was going to collect a DVD from Stamford.<br />&quot;But after a while he had not returned home, and I assumed he was staying out with friends.&quot;<br /><br />The following morning his bed had not been slept in, calls to his mobile remained unanswered and a search of the house and outbuildings proved fruitless.<br /><br />Philip decided to take a drive around the farm and headed into Morley Wood, where he spotted his son&#39;s parked car.<br /><br />He said: &quot;I felt a sense of relief when I saw the car, and thought he had gone for a walk.&quot;<br /><br />But after getting out of his car, Philip saw his son&#39;s motionless body hanging by a rope from a nearby tree.<br /><br />James was pronounced dead at the scene, and a post mortem examination confirmed the cause of death as hanging.<br /><br />According to medical records, James had not suffered from suicidal tendencies, but refused two separate referrals to see a psychiatrist.<br />Just 11 days before he died, he was prescribed venlafaxine and his parents noticed a deterioration in their son&#39;s health.<br /><br />In recording a verdict of suicide, coroner Gordon Ryall offered the family the chance to have a closer look at the effects of the drug on their son&#39;s health.<br />But he warned they may not learn anything more from further investigation.<br />02 March 2005 
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