This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
Chronic sleep deprivation can lead to a host of physical and mental problems, and in one young man’s case, his mother believes it led to his death.
Derek McFadden was just 23 years old when he took his own life on August 17, 2018 in Tucson, Arizona.
His mother, Robin McFadden, of Tuxedo Park, New York, said she believed her son’s insomnia was “the only contributing factor” to his suicide.
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Derek McFadden was a “very funny kid” who loved swimming, snow skiing and cuddling, his mother said. But for most of his life, he battled debilitating insomnia.
Around the age of eight, he began taking small doses of sleeping pills, which worked for several years.
Derek McFadden (pictured left with his mother Robin McFadden) was 23 years old when he took his own life on August 17, 2018 in Tucson, Arizona. (Robin McFadden)
Around the time he turned 18, a senior in high school, McFadden said the medication stopped working.
“He never slept well at night, but he worked hard through school, and he would come home and lie down in bed, exhausted, and he couldn’t sleep,” she said in an interview with Fox News Digital. He spoke at
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McFadden took her son to multiple doctors and tried various medications, but none worked, she said.
“Derek just lay there at night and was so tired he couldn’t sleep,” she said.
Despite the sleep deprivation, her son managed to graduate from high school, but things got worse when he went to the University of Arizona.
Derek McFadden (left) is pictured with his brother Jake McFadden. (Robin McFadden)
He chose Arizona because he is an “avid outdoorsman” who loves fly fishing, off-roading in his Jeep, and spending time with his dog, whom he adopted as emotional support.
“Our hope was that since Derek is in Arizona, the sunlight during the day would stimulate his brain to wake him up and help him sleep at night, but that didn’t work,” McFadden said. he said.
Doctors continued to see him, but none of the experts could determine the cause of his insomnia.
“There was something wrong with his brain that was preventing him from sleeping.”
“Any doctor would think this is a sleep hygiene issue and that they’re doing something wrong,” McFadden said.
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“They assumed he had been playing video games all night because he was 18, 19 or 20 years old.”
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 preventing him from sleeping.”
Derek McFadden, far left, is pictured with his brother, mother and father. (Robin McFadden)
The family considered holistic approaches such as hypnosis, acupuncture and “brain training,” but “nothing seemed to work,” McFadden said.
Many nights he would go through the night without sleep, sometimes for three days in a row.
“It was really, really bad,” McFadden said.
physical and mental burden
As the months passed and her son continued to have trouble sleeping, McFadden said his immune system began to tax.
After a sleepless night, I had bruises around my eyes.
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“Derek was sick so often that he felt like he wasn’t a normal kid,” she says. “He couldn’t resist anything. He was always in emergency care.”
Her son developed severe acid reflux and stomach pain, to the point where he had difficulty eating.
“At times, his insomnia would become so severe that he would not be able to eat or drink any fluids,” McFadden said.
She said she was taken to the emergency room multiple times with dehydration and severe seizures.
According to his mother, Derek was an “avid outdoorsman” who loved fly fishing, off-roading in his Jeep, and spending time with his dog, whom he adopted as emotional support. (Robin McFadden)
McFadden said the sleep deprivation has also caused a change in her son’s attitude and personality.
“Derek had extreme mood swings, anxiety, and depression,” she recalled.
“He suffered from hallucinations and was constantly losing things. He couldn’t think clearly.”
McFadden said her son rarely had a good night’s sleep, but “he was a completely different person and couldn’t be happier.”
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“It broke my heart because he was such a cheerful, funny, big-hearted person. And it was really sad to see him decline.”
Her son could not keep up with his studies and had to drop out of university.
“I couldn’t sleep at night and couldn’t even go to work,” McFadden said.
“He understood that there was no cure and no future, and he saw no point in continuing.”
In July 2018, when her son returned from Tucson for the summer, McFadden noticed something had changed.
“We were sitting on the couch and he said to me, ‘Mom, I’m going to die young,'” she recalled.
“So I said, ‘Derek, why would you say that?’ And he said, ‘Because my mind and body can’t handle sleep deprivation.’
Derek McFadden (left) is pictured with his brother. After the tragedy, his mother realized her son may have been planning suicide in recent weeks, she said. (Robin McFadden)
McFadden said her son had also expressed that he did not want to have children because he did not want to inherit the disorder.
“He understood there was no cure and no future, and there was no point in continuing,” she said. “Physically, he was starting to fall apart, and mentally, his cognitive abilities were declining.”
“Physically, he was starting to fall apart.”
Four weeks later, McFadden received an early morning call from Tucson police informing her that her son had taken his own life.
After the tragedy, McFadden realized her son may have been planning suicide in recent weeks.
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“He was in touch with some old friends, and in his texts and phone calls, he seemed very calm, reassured, and calm,” she recalled. “I truly believe that Derek made the decision. He just thought he didn’t have a future.”
Relationship between sleep and suicide
Research suggests there may be a link between sleep and suicide.
A study published in the journal Current Psychiatry Reports found that treating insomnia and nightmares, or addressing the causes of those problems, may help prevent the “increasing threat of suicide.” found.
“Sleep is very important for emotional and psychological balance.”
Dr. Brett Osborne, a Florida neurologist and longevity expert at Senolytics, said there is “significant research” suggesting a link between sleep deprivation and increased suicide risk.
“Sleep is critical to emotional and psychological balance,” he said in an interview with Fox News Digital.
“Sleep deprivation can cause mood disturbances, irritability, and decreased stress tolerance, all of which can worsen feelings of hopelessness and depression and lead to suicidal thoughts.”
McFadden said her son rarely had a good night’s sleep, but “he was a completely different person and couldn’t be happier.” Derek McFadden and his mother Robin McFadden are pictured here. (Robin McFadden)
Sleep deprivation can also affect cognitive function, the doctor continued.
“This disorder can make it difficult for individuals to find alternative solutions to problems or seek help, increasing the risk of suicidal behavior,” he said.
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Osborn said sleep disorders are also commonly associated with mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety, which are themselves significant risk factors for suicide.
“Sleep pathology is extremely complex and difficult because sleep itself is poorly understood.”
“Insomnia and disturbed sleep patterns are particularly prevalent in these settings,” he warned. “This can lead to diagnostic confusion and resulting treatment errors.”
Dr. Osborne pointed out that sleep also influences a variety of biological processes, “including the regulation of neurotransmitters such as serotonin (involved in mood regulation) and stress hormones such as cortisol.”
Derek McFadden was a “very funny kid” who loved swimming, snow skiing and cuddling, his mother said. (Robin McFadden)
“Chronic sleep deprivation can cause dysregulation of these systems, which can contribute to depressive symptoms and suicidal thoughts.”
While the majority of insomnia patients respond to lifestyle changes and medication, some patients are “more difficult to manage,” Osborne noted.
“Often there are underlying medical issues, such as reflux disease, that can predispose people to insomnia,” he told Fox News Digital.
Derek McFadden (center), in cap and gown, is pictured with his family at his high school graduation ceremony. (Robin McFadden)
“Another issue is the potential interaction between depression and anxiety,” Osborn says.
“Sleep pathology is extremely complex and difficult because sleep itself is poorly understood,” he continued. “A multifaceted, multidisciplinary approach involving a psychiatrist and sleep specialist is always best.”
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Dr. Mark Siegel, Clinical Professor, School of Medicine New York University Langone Medical Center and a Fox News medical contributor agreed that there is a proven link between insomnia, stress, anxiety, and depression.
“Suicide is a symptom of severe depression, so I think there’s a connection there, but I don’t think it’s entirely due to insomnia,” he told Fox News Digital.
Fly fishing was one of Derek McFadden’s favorite hobbies. (Robin McFadden)
Siegel calls it the “cycle of worry.”
“Anxiety interferes with sleep, and consuming caffeine, especially to reduce lightheadedness, can make you more anxious and cause more insomnia,” he says.
Siegel says that during sleep, the brain relaxes and “cleanses” itself.
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“Waking up refreshed makes you feel better, especially if it involves exercise,” he noted.
For people with severe insomnia, Dr. Siegel recommends having a complete sleep study/evaluation, usually using EEG or video monitoring, to determine the cause.
“Severe and resistant cases require evaluation by a sleep specialist, neurologist, or psychiatrist,” he added.
call to raise awareness
Ms McFadden said she thought the most “disappointing” part of her son’s tragedy was the lack of support from the medical community.
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“The medical community doesn’t seem to believe that severe insomnia actually exists, other than sleep apnea and bad sleep hygiene,” she told FOX News Digital.
“And that just infuriates me.”
Now, McFadden’s goal is to raise awareness about chronic insomnia — “because there are so many people in this world who suffer from it.”
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