Turned into drug-addicts by their doctors, then abandoned by the NHS: The people driven to the brink of suicide – by pills designed to treat depression

‘Benzos have stolen the best years of my life,’ says Neil Evans. ‘They were supposed to be a temporary solution for an anxiety attack, but I’ve been on them for ten years and they’ve made me feel far worse — much more anxious and agitated.’
But when Neil has tried to come off the drugs, he has experienced ‘crippling’ withdrawal symptoms.
‘Your brain goes into meltdown: it’s worse than the drug’s side-effects that you’re trying to get rid of,’ says the 50-year-old former journalist from Bristol. ‘I’d curl up in a ball on my bed and just cry all the time.’ Neil admits that, at times, he felt so desperate, he thought about ending his life. He even considered going to Dignitas, the assisted dying organisation in Switzerland.’
Read more: Turned into drug-addicts by their doctors, then abandoned by the NHS: The people driven to the brink of suicide – by pills designed to treat depression