The article discusses the tragic story of Derek McFadden, a young man who took his own life at age 23 due to severe and persistent insomnia. His mother, Robin McFadden, believes that lack of sleep was the sole cause behind her son’s suicide. Since childhood, Derek struggled with debilitating insomnia, which led him to take sleeping medication from a young age. As he grew older, his condition worsened, and even doctors couldn’t figure out what caused it. McFadden took her son to multiple specialists who assumed that since he was 18 or over, the sleeplessness must be due to poor sleep hygiene habits like playing video games all night long. However, Derek knew better as his condition deteriorated and became severe enough for him to go days without sleeping at times. The lack of sleep changed McFadden’s personality; he had mood swings, anxiety, depression, hallucinations, and lost things frequently. As a result, Derek couldn’t concentrate on his studies or keep any food in his stomach due to severe acid reflux and stomach pain that made it difficult for him even to drink water at times. After consecutive nights of no sleep, he developed bruises around the eyes. His immune system was weakened by lack of sleep as well which left McFadden frequently hospitalized with dehydration and muscle spasms when in school during fall term; the experience pushed him toward dropping out from college due to his deteriorating health condition. Four weeks before his suicide, Derek came home from Arizona stating that he saw no future for himself because of insomnia’s severe impact on both physical and mental well-being as it caused a downward spiral in cognitive abilities over time. McFadden believes her son had planned the suicide during recent weeks based upon messages to old friends where Derek appeared calm, relieved, and serene at heart while showing signs of acceptance about his fate despite his age’s apparent brightness ahead.
The article suggests that there is a probable link between sleep deprivation and an increased risk for suicidal thoughts. The neurologist Brett Osborn has said that insomnia and disrupted sleeping patterns are more prevalent in people suffering from depression or anxiety disorders, which themselves increase the suicide rate.
Dr Marc Siegel also notes a proven link between sleep deprivation, stress, anxiety, and depressions—part of an all-too common “cycle of worry”. He recommends that those with severe insomnia undergo full sleep studies/evaluations to determine underlying causes. The article concludes by highlighting McFadden’s efforts toward raising awareness about chronic insomnia due to the numerous people suffering from this condition worldwide.
If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 (in USA) or their local crisis center.
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