Teen Suicide Pilot's Family Sues Maker of Acne Drug
Tuesday, April 16, 2002


TAMPA, Fla. — The family of a 15-year-old boy who crashed a stolen plane into a Tampa high-rise is suing the maker of the acne drug Accutane for $70 million, accusing the medicine of prompting her son's suicide.

The lawsuit filed Monday claims the drug caused severe psychosis in Charles Bishop, who died Jan. 5 and left a note expressing sympathy for Usama bin Laden and supporting the Sept. 11 attacks.

In an interview aired Tuesday by NBC's Today show, the boy's mother, Julia Bishop, said her son had showed no signs of depression.

"This child was a happy, well-balanced, forward-thinking child who had a great deal to live for," Bishop said. "This was psychotic and the only conclusion we have been able to draw is the Accutane poisoned him."

A Hoffmann-La Roche spokeswoman said the company was unaware of the lawsuit, but the company does not believe the drug is dangerous.

Accutane carries a warning about suicide, but the company points to statistics showing sufferers of severe acne and teenagers — the main users of the drug — generally have higher suicide rates.

"We continue, as do the experts, to believe there is no link," said company spokeswoman Carolyn Glynn.

The Food and Drug Administration says 147 people taking Accutane either committed suicide or were hospitalized for suicide attempts from 1982 to May 2000. An estimated 13 million patients have used Accutane since its debut in 1982.

An autopsy found no trace of Accutane in Bishop's blood, but attorneys for the family say so much blood was lost in the crash that the test may not have been useful.

So, what do you think?

Even if this drug were a factor in teen suicide (for some users), do you think it would cause someone to steal a plane and crash it into a building as a method of suicide?

No, I don't, chelseabelle.

Once again, I'll put my foot into it...and say...that perhaps this troubled teen was troubled BEFORE Accutane...and if none was found in his blood...well...How much blood would one need to find a "trace"? I'm sure there was an adequate amount of blood at the scene.

Considering the timing of this suit, and the tragedy and shock endured by the family, and the self-examination necessary and whatever, I would think, and I'm sorry if I offend, that this would be a suit of "convenience". A justification, if you like...that "I didn't do anything wrong!"...
"He was a good boy.", which they said...no reason for him to do anything like that from what they could surmise before the event!

Was there not talk at the time that he had a "gone away" father of Middle Eastern..(or something similar) descent...who had NOT been in his life??? I think so...this may have added to the poor boy's emotional problems in the light of Sept. 11.

Sorry...at least I'm honest!



[ 04-17-2002, 01:51 AM: Message edited by: lefois ]

Now you've got me depressed! Although I am constantly on my guard for the effects of prescription drugs and quite militant about some of them, I cannot believe this act of desparation on the part of the mother of this boy. Hasn't anyone noticed that no one has suggested she might possibly feel guilty for not discontinuing his flight lessons when he was in such a poor mental state? And those lessons are very very expensive I might add.
I am sad about the state of affairs in my native land.
I've seen things that were justifiable for lawsuits in the past and yet, people were so clever, they avoided them. Whereas things that should not need to go through this process, are the objects of lawsuits.
It's like the robber suing someone for tripping over a step in the house he's robbing.

The boy is only 15 years old and still under his parents care right?

If this is the case then the only guilty party would have to be the parents for letting him take the drug.

It was there responsibility to supervise what drugs there son was taking.

End of case.

If out of 13 MILLION people taking ANY drug, only 147 of them have attempted suicide, I'd say it sounds like that drug has been preventing, not causing, suicide attempts! Especially if the majority of the 13 million are teen-agers.

The acne drug Accutane is a powerful one and slightly controversial. I am pretty militant about drug remedies for things like that and especially for my children.
I had some pretty bad problems with acne as a teen, and some days it gets so bad that you think your zits are like a lighthouse, that everyone's looking at them. Modern therapy seems to help but this drug to me, with the side effects I've heard of, seems like overkill. It would seem that a parent would weigh the risks vs the benefits to their child.

A skin problem or any sort of problem with one's appearance might actually attain big proportions with a teen.

So if a teen's skin problems really really bother him or her, and I've seen kids whose skin was so bad that they suffered immensely, you might want to choose this therapy if nothing else works.

This means that the drug should be contributing to the well being of the child and as a parent, your responsibility is to watch your child and see if he or she is benefitting from it.

No, not all parents are qualified to judge, but you must take responsibility for things.
I sent my daughter to a dermatologist as her skin was bothering her, and the one guy was a butcher. He did a highly abrasive treatment and used needles on a fairly mild problem and she came out sobbing and had scabs for a week. I checked out the guy and he was known for his incompetency! If a doctor prescribed an internal treatment I'd want to know all about it and avoid it unless it was the only way.

The population treated by Accutane is adolescent and therefore subject to adolescent depression and unfortunately suicide attempts.
It's like suing Viagra manufacturers for heart problems when normally the population most concerned with Viagra is at risk for heart and circulation problems to begin with.