MISSD

21/07/2025

Akathisia Takes Center Stage in Lisa Loomer’s Bold New Play

MISSD applauds award-winning playwright Lisa Loomer for her powerful and deeply personal play, Side Effects May Include…, now running at the Contemporary American Theater Festival. The festival is recognized as one of the top theater festivals in the world by publications such as The New York Times and American Theater.

Inspired by her own son’s heartbreaking experience, Loomer adeptly brings akathisia and related iatrogenic harm into the spotlight. Akathisia is a devastating, medication-induced disorder that can lead to self-harm, violence, and su***de. Yet most sufferers report they were never warned about the risk, nor given fully informed consent before being prescribed medications associated with akathisia. Most sufferers also report their akathisia symptoms were missed, dismissed or misdiagnosed as signs of DSM-labeled disorders.

Critics are praising Side Effects May Include… for its emotional impact, gripping storytelling, and steadfast look at a global public health crisis.

“Like being burned alive in a locked coffin.”
“Living in a scream.”
These are the words used to describe akathisia in the play—and for many, they are all too real.

MISSD is honored to be listed as a resource in this critically acclaimed production. We are deeply grateful to Lisa Loomer for using her voice to raise awareness about a condition that affects millions, demands informed consent, and deserves urgent attention.

What happens when the trust we place in our medical system actually makes us sicker? After a series of diagnoses, a mother leads us through her son’s search for wellness, a Kafkaesque journey through the world of psychiatry. Written with humor and fury, the story explores the side effects of fight...

20/07/2025

We stand with Stephanie McGill-Lynch and her courageous fight for Jake’s Amendment in Ireland.

After losing her 14-year-old son in 2013, she's been calling for essential reforms to the Coroner’s Act—so that iatrogenic harm (medically induced harm) can be properly recorded as a contributing cause of death when warranted.

When healthcare contributes to a tragedy, families deserve truth—not silence. Blaming victims of iatrogenesis for their own prescribed deaths is not only morally wrong—it perpetuates stigma and leads to further medical harm.

Stephanie’s advocacy is a powerful step toward honesty, healing, and accountability. Listen to her story and learn more about Jake’s Amendment on Newstalk Daily:

Content Warning: This episode contains references to mental health and the loss of life. Listener discretion is advised. On today’s episode of Newstalk Daily, Ciara Doherty explores how the death of one young boy who took his own life was recorded, and why Sinn Féin is calling for a change to the...

17/07/2025

Akathisia is often one of many symptoms of SSRI withdrawal. "What most prescribers and consumers don't understand is that depression pills can cause "symptoms that persist for long periods after you stop them," said British psychiatrist Mark Horowitz.

The symptoms can include nerve pain, emotional numbness and sexual dysfunction and can last for years after stopping the drugs. Patients are pushing for recognition and more research.

15/07/2025

09/07/2025

Today, a crucial Bill will be introduced in the Republic of Ireland’s Parliament - a proposed amendment to the Coroners Act to allow for a new, vital verdict: “iatrogenic su***de” - a term recognising deaths caused by medication-induced harm.

Known as “Jake’s Amendment”, this Bill seeks to give coroners the legal framework to acknowledge when a life is lost as a result of prescribed medication. It is a truth too often hidden, but no longer ignored.

The grieving parents of Jake McGill Lynch (aged 14, RIP) and Darren Connell (aged 17, RIP) will take their seats in the House of Parliament as the proposed Bill is introduced - in silence, but in strength as submissions are made by elected representatives on their behalf.

Their courage and relentless campaigning has brought us to this moment of hope and justice.

We honour them. We stand with them. And we urge you to stand with them too.

📺 Tune in live between 12:45 and 13:15 to witness the introduction of this landmark proposal and show your support for Jake and Darren’s families and all those fighting for truth, transparency, and change.

https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/oireachtas-tv/dail-eireann-live/

09/07/2025

https://www.einpresswire.com/article/829561721/missd-launches-national-campaign-to-prevent-medication-induced-harm

50 States, 5 Years, 1 Mission: Raise Akathisia Awareness to Save Lives

09/07/2025

50 States, 5 Years, 1 Mission: Raise Akathisia Awareness to Save Lives. New billboards in the Mount Rushmore state reflect MISSD's "50 in 5" initiative. Read more at https://www.einpresswire.com/article/829561721/missd-launches-national-campaign-to-prevent-medication-induced-harm

03/07/2025

This is an excellent webinar about SSRI tapering. Most healthcare professionals remain unaware of the slow process of safe tapering, and that for some people, getting off depression pills is a worse experience than what they experienced before initially being prescribed the drugs.

More and more people are expressing a desire to stop taking antidepressants—but many therapists are unsure how to support them through the process. This esse...

02/07/2025

Does pharma sprinkle “commercially sensitive information” into drug protocol docs to later block public access to efficacy and safety data? Or is their “commercially sensitive” claim pure fiction?

“Common sense suggests drug company commercial interests should never over-ride patient welfare.” Yet, when it comes to freedom of information requests for drug protocol docs, it's clear government drug regulators often cover for pharma. This puts patient safety at risk given the protocols, and clinical trials, often paint a falsely positive picture regarding drug efficacy and safety.

This post by Peter Selley details yet another Selley triumph. It's extraordinary what focus and persistence can achieve. I am dedicating this post to Nikki Rutman, twenty years an analyst with the FBI, who currently heads up Moderna’s Global Intelligence Division. Moderna’s shares have plummeted...

23/06/2025

Award winning playwright, Lisa Loomer, premiers a new production about adverse drug effects, including akathisia. Loomer and her son previously shared their akathisia experiences on MISSD's podcast and mention MISSD as a resource.
Click on the links below for Loomer's bio, ticket information, and learn more about her efforts to spotlight a medical system that too often makes us sicker.
https://catf.org/2025-play-side-effects-may-include-by-lisa-loomer/
https://catf.org/interview-with-playwright-lisa-loomer/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQvtN1kz-TQ&t=43s

19/06/2025

The FDA warns that benzos—like Xanax, Ativan, and Klonopin—can cause serious problems, but many consumers have been sounding the alarm for decades. Even a few weeks of use can lead to dependence, and stopping too fast can trigger anxiety, seizures, and akathisia. Doctors are advised to limit prescriptions to 1–2 weeks.

New research shows benzodiazepines can cause miscarriages in addition to FDA black box warnings about the risks of addiction, dependence, withdrawal, and abuse.

05/06/2025

This discussion with K9's for Vets and MISSD founder, Wendy Dolin, is timelessly relevant given that prescribing rates among veterans is still sky high. Vets need non-medication options to help effectively deal with situational challenges and stress often caused by unusual trauma.

In this episode of Akathisia Stories, a co-production of MISSD and Studio C Chicago, Andy Miles interviews Wendy Dolin and K9's for Vets founder, Mike Teller...