This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please contact the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
Chronic lack of sleep can cause a long list of physical and mental problems—and for a young person, his mother believes Due to this he died.
Derek McFadden was just 23 years old when he took his own life in Tucson, Arizona on August 17, 2018.
His mother, Robin McFadden, who lives in Tuxedo Park, New York, said she believes her son’s insomnia was the “sole driver” of his suicide.
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Derek McFadden was an “extremely funny kid” who loved swimming, snow-skiing and hugs, his mother said — but for most of his life, he struggled with debilitating insomnia.
At about age 8, he began taking small doses of sleep medication, which helped for several years.
Derek McFadden, pictured with his mother Robin McFadden, left, was 23 when he took his own life in Tucson, Arizona, on August 17, 2018. (Robin McFadden)
McFadden said that when he turned 18 during his senior year of high school, the medication stopped working.
“He never got a good night’s sleep, but he would struggle through his school days and then come home and lie down on his bed exhausted, but couldn’t sleep,” she told Fox News Digital in an interview.
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McFadden took her son to several doctors and tried different medications — none of which worked, she said.
“Derek lay there at night and he was very tired, but he couldn’t sleep,” he said.
Despite the sleep difficulties, their son managed to graduate from high school — but things took a turn for the worse when he left for college at the University of Arizona.
Left, Derek McFadden is pictured with his older brother Jake McFadden. (Robin McFadden)
He chose Arizona because he was an “avid outdoorsman” who enjoyed fly-fishing, off-roading in his Jeep and spending time with your dogWhich he adopted for emotional support.
“Our hope was that with Derek being in Arizona, sunlight during the day would trigger his brain to wake up so he could sleep at night, but that didn’t work,” McFadden said.
Visits to doctors continued, but no specialist could figure out what was causing the insomnia.
“There was something wrong with his brain that was keeping him from sleeping.”
“Every doctor will assume it’s sleep hygiene, and he’s doing something wrong,” McFadden said.
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“They assumed that because he was 18, 19 or 20 he was playing video games all night.”
She added, “But Derek knew about sleep hygiene. He had done a lot of research himself. There was something wrong with his brain that was keeping him from sleeping.”
Derek McFadden, on the far left, is pictured with his brother, mother and father. (Robin McFadden)
The family looked into holistic approaches, including hypnosis, acupuncture and “brain training,” but “nothing worked,” McFadden said.
Many nights, he said, he would spend the entire night without sleeping – sometimes for three days in a row.
“It was really bad,” McFadden said.
physical and mental toll
As the months went by and her son started losing sleep, McFadden said it started taking its toll. on his immune system,
After several consecutive nights without sleep, bruises formed around his eyes.
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“Derek was constantly getting sick and it made him feel like he wasn’t a normal kid,” she said. “He couldn’t fight anything. He was always in urgent care.”
Her son started suffering from severe acid reflux and stomach pain, to the extent that it became difficult for him to even eat food.
“At times his insomnia would become so severe that he would not be able to take food or liquids at all,” McFadden said.
Several times, he said, he ended up in the emergency room with dehydration and severe cramps.
Derek was an “avid outdoorsman” who loved fly-fishing, off-roading in his Jeep, and spending time with his dog, whom he adopted for emotional support, his mother said. (Robin McFadden)
McFadden said sleep deprivation also changed her son’s demeanor and personality.
“Derek’s mood changed tremendously – he became anxious and depressed“she remembers.
“He was having hallucinations, and he was constantly losing things. He couldn’t think clearly.”
On the rare occasion when her son got a good night’s sleep, McFadden said, he was “a completely different person, happier than could be.”
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“It breaks my heart, because he was such a happy-go-lucky, funny, big-hearted guy and it was really sad to see his decline.”
Her son was unable to continue his studies dropping out of college,
“He couldn’t even hold down a job because he couldn’t sleep at night,” McFadden said.
“He saw that there was no cure, no future, and he saw no point in moving forward.”
In July 2018, when her son came home from Tucson for the summer, McFadden knew something had changed.
“We were sitting on the couch and he said to me, ‘Mom, I’m going to die young,'” she recalled.
“And I said, ‘Derek, why do you say that?’ And he said, ‘because my mind and body Can’t stand the lack of sleep.”
Left, Derek McFadden is pictured with his older brother. Following the tragedy, his mother said she realized her son had been planning suicide in recent weeks. (Robin McFadden)
Her son also said he didn’t want to have children because he didn’t want to pass the disorder on to others, McFadden said.
“He saw that there was no cure, no future, and he saw no point in moving forward,” she said. “Physically, he was beginning to break down, and mentally, his cognitive ability was going.”
“Physically, he was beginning to break down.”
Four weeks later, McFadden received an early morning call from the Tucson Police Department informing her that her son had taken his own life.
After the tragedy, McFadden realized that his son had possibly been planning suicide in recent weeks.
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“He had contacted some old friends and in his text messages and phone calls he seemed very calm, relieved,” she recalled. “I really believe Derek made the decision. He didn’t see any future for himself.”
sleep-suicide link
Studies have suggested a possible connection between sleep and suicide.
Research published in the journal Current Psychiatry Reports found that treating insomnia and nightmares, or finding the source of those issues, could help prevent “increased risk of suicide.”
“Sleep is important for emotional and psychological balance.”
Dr. Brett Osborn, Florida Neurologist and longevity expert The company Senolytics said there is a “significant body of research” that suggests a link between sleep loss and increased risk of suicide.
“Sleep is important for emotional and psychological balance,” he told Fox News Digital in an interview.
“Lack of sleep can lead to mood disturbances, irritability, and decreased stress tolerance, all of which can worsen feelings of hopelessness or depression – potentially leading to suicidal thoughts.”
On the rare occasion when her son got a good night’s sleep, McFadden said, he was “a completely different person, happier than could be.” Derek McFadden is pictured here with his mother, Robin McFadden. (Robin McFadden)
The doctor further said, lack of sleep can also affect cognitive functions.
“This loss can make it difficult for individuals to see alternatives solving problems or asking for helpThe risk of potentially suicidal behavior is increasing,” he said.
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According to Osborn, sleep problems are also commonly associated with mental disorders such as depression and anxiety, which are themselves significant risk factors for suicide.
“Sleep pathology is extremely complex and challenging because sleep itself is poorly understood.”
“Insomnia and disrupted sleep patterns are particularly prevalent in these conditions,” he warned. “This may be a source of diagnostic confusion and resulting treatment errors.”
Sleep also affects a variety of biological processes, Osborne said — “including the regulation of neurotransmitters like serotonin (which is involved in mood regulation) and stress hormones like cortisol.”
Derek McFadden was an “extremely funny kid” who loved swimming, snow-skiing and hugs, his mother said. (Robin McFadden)
“Chronic sleep loss can lead to disruption of these systems, which may contribute to depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation.”
While most insomnia patients respond lifestyle changes And/or medications, Osborn said, there is a subgroup of patients who are “more difficult to manage.”
“Oftentimes, there are underlying medical problems, such as reflux, that go under the radar and cause the person to suffer from insomnia,” he told Fox News Digital.
Derek McFadden, center, in cap and gown, is pictured with his family during his high-school graduation. (Robin McFadden)
“Another issue is the possible reciprocal relationship between depression and anxiety,” Osborn said.
He added, “Sleep pathology is extremely complex and challenging because sleep itself is so poorly understood.” “A multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary approach – involving a psychiatrist and a sleep specialist – is always best.”
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Dr. Mark Siegel, Clinical Professor of Medicine NYU Langone Medical Center And a medical contributor for Fox News agreed that there is a proven link between insomnia, stress, anxiety and depression.
“Since suicide is a manifestation of severe depression, I think there is a link, although insomnia would not be the sole cause,” he told Fox News Digital.
Fly-fishing was one of Derek McFadden’s favorite hobbies. (Robin McFadden)
Siegel calls this the “cycle of worry.”
“Anxiety interferes with sleep, which then makes you more anxious and more sleepless, especially if you add caffeine to deal with the jitters,” she said.
During sleep, the brain rests and “cleans” itself, Siegel said.
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“Waking up refreshed can improve mood, especially when with exercise,” He mentioned.
For people with severe insomnia, Siegel recommends getting a complete sleep study/evaluation – usually with an EEG or video monitoring – to help determine the cause.
“Severe, resistant cases require evaluation by sleep specialists, neurologists and psychiatrists,” he said.
call for awareness
According to McFadden, the most “frustrating” part of her son’s tragedy, in her view, was the lack of support from the health community.
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“Aside from sleep apnea and poor sleep hygiene, the medical community doesn’t believe that severe insomnia actually exists,” he told Fox News Digital.
“And that makes me angry.”
Today, McFadden’s goal is to raise awareness about chronic insomnia — “because there are so many people in this world who suffer from it.”
