People with acne know how distressing and embarrassing this condition can be. Young people with the most aggressive form of the disease are prescribed roaccutane, the most effective agent with the most side effects. Even suicide can be a side effect of the therapy.
That Saturday, February 19, last year, seemed like all the others. Patsy Jones waved her son goodbye. – Jesse is dating the guys. I also reminded him to set the alarm clock because he was working the next day – he says. He laughed, kissed her goodbye and ran out of the house shouting back: Bye.
This was when Patsy and her husband Derek saw their son alive for the last time. His body was found five days later, at the foot of a mighty cliff near their home in Swanage, Dorset. Patsy, Derek and their daughter Laura have not recovered since then. Neither of them can understand what happened. Has there been a tragic accident or has Jesse taken his own life? The subject was taken up by the producers of the BBC3 program in the episode Dying For Clear Skin. They asked whether Jesse’s death was another piece of evidence of the dangerous side effects of roaccutane, a popular acne drug.
“When he was little, Jesse couldn’t sit still,” remembers Patsy, 59, with tenderness in her voice. – He was an ordinary boy, he had many friends.
During his teenage years, Jesse suffered from acne and was therefore mocked by his peers. “He didn’t have a lot of pimples on his face,” remembers mom. – The acne attacked his back and chest. But this ailment had made him terribly depressed.
– At school, they called his mouth like pizza – says my father. Unfortunately, Jesse was a very sensitive boy. These taunts got him depressed.
He used a variety of prescription ointments and pills, but the treatment was unsuccessful. Patsy believes the boy has developed a social phobia because of his appearance. “He’s completely out of confidence,” says mom.
He experienced mood swings, he became depressed more and more often. In March 2010, he plunged into depression. Without his parents’ knowledge, he had been using a new acne drug for several months.
Roaccutane is a very potent drug that is only prescribed in the UK by dermatologists working in hospitals. Its side effects include anemia and depression. Jesse took the drug for four months, then stopped taking it because he noticed severe mood swings in himself. Over the next six months, his mental state deteriorated further – so much so that he needed the help of a psychiatrist. “We tiptoed around him,” says Patsy. He was so bristled that the slightest attention made him mad.
Yet in February 2011, after Jesse had undergone drug-assisted psychotherapy for depression, the boy seemed to be in good shape to his mother. When he left the house that fateful night, his mother had no doubts that something bad might happen. – I did not sleep well. But it seems to me that neither mother sleeps well when their children are away from home, she explains. – At 8 am I found out that my son did not come back from the meeting.
She assumed he was staying overnight with a friend. But when Derek went camping where his son worked, he was horrified to discover that Jesse was not there. “Then I started to panic,” says Patsy. – My son used to text me even when he was going to be late for tea time. For reasons unknown to me, this time I did not try to contact him by phone – maybe because of fear that he would not answer me.
Before 17 pm, the police were notified of the disappearance and a search operation was started. After five days, Jesse’s body was found at the foot of a 115-meter-high cliff near the house.
“I think the son took his own life,” says Derek. – He must have had a hard time climbing the cliff that evening. I used to try to go in there during the day, and I waved a lot. I believe that this unfortunate drug is responsible for my son’s death. He put it down, but depression still held him in check. Maybe he suspected that he would never get rid of those nasty side effects again, and he couldn’t deal with them.
His parents found out how terrible he felt from an e-mail he had left on his computer. It was a letter to my parents, dated March 2010 – he never quite managed to send it. In the letter, Jesse blames his roaccutane condition, a measure he believes destroyed his life.
– I felt that I let him down – says the mother. – I never realized how terribly he was suffering from depression.
And yet, in the proceedings to investigate the circumstances of the boy’s death, no mention is made of the Roaccutane. Asked by the filmmakers for comment, a representative from Roche, the manufacturer of the drug, said: “There is no evidence that there is a link between roaccutane use and depression and suicidal ideation.” On the other hand, it was observed that some patients were depressed during therapy. That is why we warn against depression in the leaflet and ask patients who notice mood swings to notify their doctor in time.
Patsy, Derek and Laura will never know what went on in Jesse’s head that fateful night. For them, only one thing is certain: there is a void in their lives that no one will fill. The season of the year is just approaching which gives Mrs. Jones a special sadness. – I still pay attention to the things that my son probably would like to get for the Christmas tree – he says. “And then it dawns on me that I will never see him again.” It’s hard to accept it.
Was the drug really at fault?
“Working on this documentary was a difficult experience for us,” admits presenter Gemma Cairney, 27. “We spoke to Jesse’s family, but also to other people who lost their confidence due to acne.” I have heard extremely different opinions: some say that Roaccutane saved their lives, others – that this drug should be withdrawn from pharmacies immediately.
The most important thing is that young people who are prescribed such treatment should be aware of the possible risks. They should also know that there are other treatments available for them. Roaccutane should only be prescribed in exceptional cases.
Tekst: Katy Brent