Early last Friday morning, grandfather Peter Miles shot dead his wife Cynda, 58, the couple’s daughter Katrina, 35, and grandchildren Taye, 13, Rylan, 12, Arye, 10, and Kayden, 8, at their farm in Osmington, east of Margaret River. It is believed that Miles had started taking antidepressant medication just weeks before, something that close friends believe played a part in “triggering or heightening his homicidal and suicidal thoughts.”1
Family friend and organic farmer, Bee Winfield, confirmed that Miles had “gone to doctors for help”2but that it seemed “…the antidepressants he had been prescribed were not working.”3 And another close friend, who visited the family in the days before the tragic shooting said, “Cynda told us Peter had gone onto antidepressants in the last few weeks. I feel for the sake of society that these mind-altering drugs should be exposed as dangerous.”4
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In fact, according to most of their friends, Miles had been depressed for some time after losing one son to suicide over a decade ago, with another son needing an organ transplant, struggling to find work, and potentially having some financial stresses. And Cynda had shared with at least one close friend that her husband had become “less rational”5 and that his depression was getting worse.
While it is not known what type of antidepressant Miles had been prescribed, many fear it may have been SSRIs which:
“…boost serotonin levels in the brain and are considered effective in the vast majority of cases, but there are claims that in rare cases they can contribute to extreme violence, murder and suicide, particularly in the first few weeks they are taken.”6
SSRIs are the most commonly prescribed antidepressants on the market and can also be used to treat anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vO34cVBQWBo
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It is possible for some patients taking SSRIs to experience immediate and distressing levels of agitation but doctors are supposed to adequately warn and monitor their patients for suicidal thoughts during the first two to four weeks of treatment. However, more often than not, patients are not made aware of the risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors when they start their antidepressants.
In the US, antidepressants are required to carry a “black-box warning” due to the risk of suicidal thoughts or behaviors in children, teenagers, and young adults but that certainly doesn’t stop doctors from prescribing them.
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Although the police have not confirmed if Miles was taking medication or what type of antidepressants he was on Police Commissioner Chris Dawson said officers will investigate every potential avenue that might have prompted the murders.
Our hearts go out to the father who has just lost his wife and children. We cannot imagine his loss but will keep him in our thoughts and prayers.
