This story is about suicide. If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please contact Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
Chronic lack of sleep can lead to a long list of physical and mental problems – and for one young man, his mother believes it led to his death.
Derek McFadden was just 23 years old when he committed suicide on August 17, 2018 in Tucson, Arizona.
His mother, Robin McFadden, who lives in Tuxedo Park, New York, said she believed her son’s insomnia was the “sole driving force” behind his suicide.
SLEEP DISORDERS AND SUICIDE: MENTAL HEALTH EXPERT REVEALS CONCERNING LINK
Derek McFadden was an “extremely funny kid” who loved swimming, skiing and cuddling, his mother said – but for most of his life he struggled with debilitating insomnia.
Around age 8, he started taking small doses of sleeping pills, which helped him for several years.
Derek McFadden, pictured left with his mother Robin McFadden, was 23 when he committed suicide on August 17, 2018 in Tucson, Arizona. (Robin McFadden)
Around age 18, during his senior year of high school, the medication stopped working, McFadden said.
“He never got a good night’s sleep, but he would make it through the school day, then come home and lie on his bed, exhausted, but couldn’t fall asleep,” she told Fox News Digital in an interview.
WARNING SIGNS OF SUICIDE ARE MISSED BY MOST AMERICANS, NEW SURVEY: IT’S ‘ALARMING’
McFadden took her son to several doctors and they tried different medications — none of which worked, she said.
“Derek would lay there at night, and he was so tired, but he couldn’t fall asleep,” she said.
Amid her difficulty sleeping, her son managed to graduate from high school, but things took a turn for the worse when he left for the University of Arizona.
Derek McFadden, left, is pictured with his older brother Jake McFadden. (Robin McFadden)
He chose Arizona because he was an “outdoor enthusiast” who enjoyed fly fishing, off-roading in his Jeep and spending time with his dog, whom he adopted for emotional support. .
“We were hoping that with Derek being in Arizona, the sun during the day would stimulate his brain to wake up so he could fall asleep at night, but it just didn’t work,” McFadden said .
Doctor visits continued, but none of the experts could determine the cause of the insomnia.
“There was something wrong with his brain that kept him from sleeping.”
“All doctors would assume it was a sleep hygiene issue and that he was doing something wrong,” McFadden said.
AMERICANS NEED MORE SLEEP, LESS STRESS, EXPERTS SAY, AS GALLUP POLL REVEALS DISTURBING RESULTS
“They assumed that because he was 18, 19, 20, he played video games all night.”
She added: “But Derek knew about sleep hygiene. He had done so much research on his own. There was something wrong with his brain that was preventing him from sleeping.”
Derek McFadden, far left, is pictured with his brother,…
