Stephen dedicated his life to helping others. He will continue to help others through his story. We are not anti-medication, we are pro-informed choice and transparency . If only we knew then what we know now. Read Stephen’s story here: facebook.com/107370804128296…

🚨 PATIENT SAFETY MUST NOT STOP AT THE BORDER 🇮🇪🇬🇧 Families within our network are asking a simple but critically important question: Will patients in the South of Ireland receive the same strengthened antidepressant safety warnings recently announced by the UK’s MHRA? These measures include prominent warnings about suicidal thoughts and behaviours, patient safety cards, and recognition of potential longer-term risks after stopping antidepressants. During a Dáil exchange on 22 October, Mark Ward TD raised this issue, as requested by the families of Darren Connell and Jake McGill Lynch. The response from Minister Mary Butler referred to Ireland’s suicide high rates (adding that Northern Ireland’s rates are much higher) and insinuated that factors such as lack sunshine and vitamin D are a contributing factor to the unacceptable number of deaths by suicide. For families who have spent years raising concerns about antidepressant-related harm, this was deeply frustrating and felt like a dismissal of the very issue being raised. Together, our families have been highlighting for years the potential contribution of antidepressant prescribing and medication-induced harm to suicidal thoughts and behaviours. These concerns cannot simply be sidestepped by pointing to other factors associated with suicide. A subsequent written response from the Department of Health confirmed that the Minister has asked Professor Philip Dodd, Deputy Chief Medical Officer and Consultant Psychiatrist, to engage with the HPRA regarding the MHRA’s measures. It also explained that Ireland operates within the European medicines regulatory framework, whereas the UK can take certain regulatory actions nationally. But this still leaves the central question unanswered: 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬? Consider two patients living in neighbouring communities, one in Fermanagh and one in Cavan. Both are prescribed the same medication. Both deserve to understand its potential risks. The border does not change human biology, nor does it remove the potential for medication-related harm. We recognise that medicines regulation must follow appropriate evidence and legal processes. But patients and families deserve more than an explanation of those processes. They deserve clarity about what action will be taken. We stand with the families in our network in asking: 🔹 Will the HPRA pursue the adoption of the strengthened warnings introduced by the MHRA? 🔹 If not, what evidence and reasoning justify a different approach for patients in Ireland? 🔹 What concrete steps will ensure patients receive clear information about the risks of suicidal thoughts and behaviours and potential longer-term effects after stopping antidepressants? Patients deserve transparency. Patients deserve informed consent. And patient safety should never depend on which side of a border someone lives on. We call on the Minister for Health, the HPRA and the relevant regulatory authorities to address these concerns directly and provide clear answers. Please share. These questions deserve to be heard. #StephensVoice #DarrensVoice #JakesVoice

💜 WORLD SUICIDE PREVENTION DAY 💜 Today, I want to give a huge shout-out to every campaigner, every bereaved family, every survivor, every person fighting for answers, accountability and change. I see you. I hear you. And I stand with you 🙏🏻 But if we are serious about preventing suicide, then we have to be prepared to have the difficult conversations too. Because you cannot expect meaningful change while ignoring what is being prescribed, how much is being prescribed, how these medications are promoted, and what happens when they cause severe reactions in people. Northern Ireland has some of the highest prescribing rates in the UK. It also has one of the highest suicide rates. So how can we genuinely expect suicide to fall if we continue to hand out medications that are known to carry warnings about suicidal thoughts and behaviours…..and if people who experience devastating medication-induced reactions are too often dismissed, misunderstood or told that the answer is simply more medication? Real suicide prevention has to include prevention of iatrogenic harm. And today feels particularly poignant because 10 years ago, Romain Schmitt died by medication-induced suicide. Ten years. And his parents are still fighting. Still speaking out. Still raising awareness. Still calling for safer prescribing. Still trying to make sure that what happened to their son does not happen to another family. Just think about that. A decade of grief……and instead of walking away, his parents have turned their pain into a fight for change. That is suicide prevention too. Listening to the families who have been through it. Listening to the people who say a medication changed them. Listening to those who developed akathisia. Listening to those living with devastating withdrawal and post-drug conditions. Listening when someone says, “I wasn't like this before I took the medication.” We cannot simply tell people to talk about suicide while refusing to talk about why some people become suicidal in the first place. We need to look at the causes. We need safer prescribing. We need genuine informed consent. We need honest warnings. We need better recognition of medication-induced akathisia and suicidality. And we need healthcare systems that listen when people say they have been harmed. We all need to stand together on this. Because suicide prevention shouldn't just be about what we do when someone reaches crisis point. It should also be about preventing the things that can push someone towards that crisis in the first place. Today, I stand with every family who has lost someone. Every person who has survived. Every campaigner who refuses to be silent. And especially the families who have spent years fighting to make sure their loved one's death was not in vain. Romain's parents are still fighting 10 years later. We should be listening. #WorldSuicidePreventionDay #WSPD2026 #SuicidePrevention #PrescribedHarm #PrescribedHarmAwareness #MedicationInducedHarm #Akathisia #SaferPrescribing #InformedConsent #StephensVoice

💜 £2,900 raised for Antidepressant Risks 💚 We are incredibly grateful to everyone who supported Stephen’s Voice in raising £2,900 for @antideprisks in support of their fantastic work. A huge thank you to Katinka and the Antidepressant Risks team for hosting the London Stolen Lives Talks and coordinating Stolen Lives Picnics around the world on Prescribed Harm Awareness Day - 29th July 🌍 These gatherings give families and communities a space to come together, remember those whose lives have been lost, share experiences and ensure that their stories are not forgotten. We are also so grateful for the incredible website that is antidepressantrisks.org - this resource provides valuable information, research and resources around antidepressant risks, informed consent and medication-related harm. Stephen’s Voice is proud to support this important work. Together, we remember Together, we raise awareness Together, we create change 💜💚 #PHADay #PrescribedHarm #PrescribedHarmAwareness #StolenLives #StolenLivesPicnic #StephensVoice #AntidepressantRisks