Chronic lack of sleep can cause a long list of physical and mental issues — and for one young man, his mother believes it led to his death.
Derek McFadden was just 23 when he took his own life on Aug. 17, 2018, in Tucson, Arizona.
His mother, Robin McFadden, who lives in Tuxedo Park, New York, said she believes her son’s insomnia was the “only driver” of his suicide.
Derek McFadden was an “extremely funny kid” who loved swimming, snow-skiing and cuddling, his mother said — but for most of his life, he struggled with debilitating insomnia.
At around 8 years old, he started taking small doses of sleeping medication, which helped for several years.
Around the time he turned 18, during his senior year of high school, the medication stopped working, McFadden said.
