Description
Linda is the mother of Caitlin, who took her own life at the age of 18 years, three years previously. Sean is Caitlin’s elder brother and the only other sibling, who was 29 years of age at the time of Caitlin’s death. Linda and her husband had been divorced for about l0 years at the time Caitlin died and were living some 150 miles apart. The divorce had been quite acrimonious. Sean had been living apart from his family since he was 17 years old. Caitlin had been living with her mother and a close female family friend. She was a very intelligent girl, vivacious and full of life.
Linda relates that her daughter had become unhappy following that break-up of a relationship which had been very significant for her. When someone suggested that not only would Prozac make you feel good but would also cause you to lose weight., Caitlin insisted on going on it despite her mother’s pleadings. The normal expectation is that it takes at least a couple of weeks before there is any noticeable difference. With Caitlin it seemed there was a somewhat manic and acting-out reaction, with Caitlin behaving in an unusual and uncharacteristic manner from the first tablet. This is borne out by Sean who saw more of his sister at this time as she had gone to live with her father for a few weeks who was in the same locality as Sean, although normally saw very little of him. Linda does not share her inner feelings easily. Three years on, she continues to grieve for her daughter and doesn’t see the situation getting any better for her. Sean believes that there were other reasons for his sister to take her own life although considers that the taking of Prozac could have pushed her over the edge.
Part of the series The Suicide of Young People and its Impact on the Family.
28 mins
