Clifton's Story
As told by his sister, Laurel
As told by his sister, Laurel
His beautiful spirit lives on in his daughters...
Clifton was the youngest of five siblings, all born within six years of each other. He was the only boy with four older sisters. In his teens
he grew from the shy, loving, cuddly "baby" of the family to the "protector" of his sisters! In his early teen years, Clifton's parents took in
three foster sisters, all older than him. With all those teenage girls in the house, poor Clifton never saw the inside of the bathroom- he
had to take a bath in the pool!
Clifton's heart and soul was in baseball; he would play whenever possible, often sneaking out of the house and averting his chores to
catch a game at the school's field.
Clifton grew into a man of outstanding character. He was kind, confident, integral, and beautiful in every sense of the word. He married
the love of his life, Jamie, and they had two beautiful children: Savannah and Delaney. Family life suited him very well; he demonstrated
infinite patience and love for his children, and cherished every moment spent with his family. In fact, if Clifton was talking to his
children, he was praising them, "You are so beautiful! Look at that face! I love you with all my heart! My Angel Button! (Savannah) and my
precious Rose (Delaney)." Clifton literally told his children, "I love you!" dozens of time each day and spent endless hours of quality time,
reading, swimming, going to the park, and playing with them.
Early in 2006, Clifton went to his doctor (actually a physician's assistant) for a pinched nerve in his shoulder; he had stressed it playing
racket ball- something he did three times a week. For reasons that are still unclear, she prescribed Elavil, a potent anti-depressant.
(Sometimes Elavil is prescribed for pain, though usually to manage depression associated with a chronic condition; this certainly was not
the case with Clifton!) He trusted his "doctor" and took the medication, having been convinced it would curtail his pain. He was not
warned about the potential side effects. Clifton battled the "hypo-manic" side effects of the drug: his sweet nature turned curt and
irritable.
A month later, he and Jamie had an argument. Clifton completely "flew off the handle" and threatened Jamie, broke her cell phone, and
demonstrated other horrible behaviors. No one understood at the time that he was on a drug that was inducing his manic reaction. Clifton
went back to his doctor (the PA) and asked for some medication to "calm him down before he kills someone!" The PA did not even
question the possibility of the Elavil causing his upset; she gave him dozens of "samples" of Lexapro, along with a prescription for Ativan.
Since the PA gave him the Lexapro samples, the pharmacy did not catch the dangerous drug-interaction error: Elavil with Lexapro.
Additionally, Clifton should have been closely monitored on the Ativan as this medication is known for turning patients manic and
suicidal very quickly. So he was on Elavil, Ativan, and Lexapro together, and became severely mentally ill.
The month that followed was violent, ugly, sad, and terrifying, as Clifton's behavior worsened. Jamie fled the house with her daughters. I
called the PA and begged her to stop prescribing the medication and refer him to a psychologist immediately; Clifton was threatening
suicide and homicide, and every other word was a vicious, angry remark about Jamie, his wife. The PA said to "have Clifton call on
Monday" (it was Saturday) and stated, "If he is so bad, why don't you just take him to a psychiatrist? We don't do referrals here." The PA
then hung up on me, even after I explained to the PA that he would not agree to go as long as she was prescribing this dangerous
medication. In his manic state, he felt the medication was the only thing that could help him. Desperate, my sisters and I secured an
appointment with a psychiatrist and took turns staying with him practically round-the-clock. On September 17th, about midnight, he
convinced my sister, Holly, who was staying with him at that time, that he was "perfectly fine, and really, really tired" and urged her to
leave him alone so he could sleep. She reluctantly left. Within 1/2 hour, he had shot himself with a hunting rifle (borrowed from an
unsuspecting neighbor).
Clifton's story epitomizes the importance of responsibility on the part of health care professionals, and the dangers of psychotropic
medications. First Cause Help recognizes that there are many medical miracles in the mental health community, and that millions of
persons can live happy, productive lives with the help of these medications. FirstCauseHelp supports integral medication management
through psychiatrists. FirstCauseHelp is dedicated to educating people on effective stress-reduction therapies and practical interventions.
Please know that we hold no anger or resentment for the P.A.'s mismanagement of Clifton, as we know she is suffering greatly with the
consequences of her actions; her suffering will not bring him back. We send her love and hopes for wisdom and recognition of her
therapeutic limits.
Clifton is survived by his wife Jamie; daughters Savannah Rae and Delaney Rose; parents Clifton Collins, Sr. and Janice; sisters Mary Jan,
Laurel, Cindy and Holly. Clifton was a devoted husband, loving father and wonderful son, a great friend to all and the absolute best brother
ever. He will also be missed by his many nieces and nephews who fondly referred to him as "Uncle Chicken." To see learn more about
Clifton, please visit: www.myspace.com/cliftonlcollins.
he grew from the shy, loving, cuddly "baby" of the family to the "protector" of his sisters! In his early teen years, Clifton's parents took in
three foster sisters, all older than him. With all those teenage girls in the house, poor Clifton never saw the inside of the bathroom- he
had to take a bath in the pool!
Clifton's heart and soul was in baseball; he would play whenever possible, often sneaking out of the house and averting his chores to
catch a game at the school's field.
Clifton grew into a man of outstanding character. He was kind, confident, integral, and beautiful in every sense of the word. He married
the love of his life, Jamie, and they had two beautiful children: Savannah and Delaney. Family life suited him very well; he demonstrated
infinite patience and love for his children, and cherished every moment spent with his family. In fact, if Clifton was talking to his
children, he was praising them, "You are so beautiful! Look at that face! I love you with all my heart! My Angel Button! (Savannah) and my
precious Rose (Delaney)." Clifton literally told his children, "I love you!" dozens of time each day and spent endless hours of quality time,
reading, swimming, going to the park, and playing with them.
Early in 2006, Clifton went to his doctor (actually a physician's assistant) for a pinched nerve in his shoulder; he had stressed it playing
racket ball- something he did three times a week. For reasons that are still unclear, she prescribed Elavil, a potent anti-depressant.
(Sometimes Elavil is prescribed for pain, though usually to manage depression associated with a chronic condition; this certainly was not
the case with Clifton!) He trusted his "doctor" and took the medication, having been convinced it would curtail his pain. He was not
warned about the potential side effects. Clifton battled the "hypo-manic" side effects of the drug: his sweet nature turned curt and
irritable.
A month later, he and Jamie had an argument. Clifton completely "flew off the handle" and threatened Jamie, broke her cell phone, and
demonstrated other horrible behaviors. No one understood at the time that he was on a drug that was inducing his manic reaction. Clifton
went back to his doctor (the PA) and asked for some medication to "calm him down before he kills someone!" The PA did not even
question the possibility of the Elavil causing his upset; she gave him dozens of "samples" of Lexapro, along with a prescription for Ativan.
Since the PA gave him the Lexapro samples, the pharmacy did not catch the dangerous drug-interaction error: Elavil with Lexapro.
Additionally, Clifton should have been closely monitored on the Ativan as this medication is known for turning patients manic and
suicidal very quickly. So he was on Elavil, Ativan, and Lexapro together, and became severely mentally ill.
The month that followed was violent, ugly, sad, and terrifying, as Clifton's behavior worsened. Jamie fled the house with her daughters. I
called the PA and begged her to stop prescribing the medication and refer him to a psychologist immediately; Clifton was threatening
suicide and homicide, and every other word was a vicious, angry remark about Jamie, his wife. The PA said to "have Clifton call on
Monday" (it was Saturday) and stated, "If he is so bad, why don't you just take him to a psychiatrist? We don't do referrals here." The PA
then hung up on me, even after I explained to the PA that he would not agree to go as long as she was prescribing this dangerous
medication. In his manic state, he felt the medication was the only thing that could help him. Desperate, my sisters and I secured an
appointment with a psychiatrist and took turns staying with him practically round-the-clock. On September 17th, about midnight, he
convinced my sister, Holly, who was staying with him at that time, that he was "perfectly fine, and really, really tired" and urged her to
leave him alone so he could sleep. She reluctantly left. Within 1/2 hour, he had shot himself with a hunting rifle (borrowed from an
unsuspecting neighbor).
Clifton's story epitomizes the importance of responsibility on the part of health care professionals, and the dangers of psychotropic
medications. First Cause Help recognizes that there are many medical miracles in the mental health community, and that millions of
persons can live happy, productive lives with the help of these medications. FirstCauseHelp supports integral medication management
through psychiatrists. FirstCauseHelp is dedicated to educating people on effective stress-reduction therapies and practical interventions.
Please know that we hold no anger or resentment for the P.A.'s mismanagement of Clifton, as we know she is suffering greatly with the
consequences of her actions; her suffering will not bring him back. We send her love and hopes for wisdom and recognition of her
therapeutic limits.
Clifton is survived by his wife Jamie; daughters Savannah Rae and Delaney Rose; parents Clifton Collins, Sr. and Janice; sisters Mary Jan,
Laurel, Cindy and Holly. Clifton was a devoted husband, loving father and wonderful son, a great friend to all and the absolute best brother
ever. He will also be missed by his many nieces and nephews who fondly referred to him as "Uncle Chicken." To see learn more about
Clifton, please visit: www.myspace.com/cliftonlcollins.
Delaney
| Clifton, You touched us all with the joy in your laugh, the warm sincerity of your smile, the huge love in your beautiful heart, the strength of your character and your passion for life. Peace, Brother. |
Savannah
Faith...Peace...Joy...Strength...Hope...Trust...Love...Laugh...Believe...Dream
| 623-687-0658 P.O. Box 41724 Phoenix AZ, 85080-1724 info@firstcausehelp.com |
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