“Zoloft Defense” Defendant Testifies on His Own Behalf

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Anthony Orban, the defendant in a California trial for kidnap and rape, who is claiming that a Zoloft-driven psychosis rendered him unaware of his actions, took the stand Tuesday on his own behalf saying he has no memory of the incident.

Abstract → 

Note from Kermit Cole, “In the News” editor:
It saddens me to keep posting the updates on this trial. I resisted even making it a news item in the beginning. But the implications of its outcome are too important, and the facts as we glean them are so fundamental, that I feel it is important to report it as it unfolds. I find my own sense of what happened, and whether it was another variation of the kind of effects that may have driven others to suicide or murder,  changes with each piece of testimony reported. It seems worthwhile to have the discussion of this case be an ongoing item on this website, rather than a summary at the end.
But I was also just overcome with a desire to apologize for the subject matter, which I have to admit leaves me feeling a little weak with nausea every time I read it. If you feel the same, I hope you will agree that the implications of the case are too important to ignore.

Related item:
“Zoloft Defense” Trial Enters “Sanity Phase”

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Kermit Cole
Kermit Cole, MFT, founding editor of Mad in America, works in Santa Fe, New Mexico as a couples and family therapist. Inspired by Open Dialogue, he works as part of a team and consults with couples and families that have members identified as patients. His work in residential treatment — largely with severely traumatized and/or "psychotic" clients — led to an appreciation of the power and beauty of systemic philosophy and practice, as the alternative to the prevailing focus on individual pathology. A former film-maker, he has undergraduate and master's degrees in psychology from Harvard University, as well as an MFT degree from the Council for Relationships in Philadelphia. He is a doctoral candidate with the Taos Institute and the Free University of Brussels. You can reach him at [email protected].

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