Kevin Neil Rider Second Incident Relative to Prozac Effect I didn't at first remember the date, but the circumstances of this event are still quite vivid to me even today. Only later in trying to piece together the more troubling events that happened while Kevin was on Prozac, did I begin thinking about specific dates. While talking to my friends, Greg and Angela Bates, Angela reminded me that this particular incident happened roughly one week prior to the date that we were getting our temple recommends renewed. She believes it was on a Monday, which would have placed the date on February 7th, 2000 - because she had taken her kids to dance class on that particular Monday, and had remembered seeing Kevin walking along University Avenue as she was driving them to the dance studio. I remember being upset with my daughter, Jennifer over something. I had gone upstairs, and noticed Kevin still deeply immersed in his Sega game although I had asked him to put it away and get busy on his homework. I was still frustrated over my exchange with Jennifer, and got after Kevin as well for not cleaning up his room, and reminded him that he still had homework to do. (I admit that I was transferring some of my lingering frustration with Jennifer onto him, and afterwards acknowledged my mistake to him). Kevin's behavior completely surprised me. He sprung up from the bed, threw the game controller down, and slammed his bedroom door and locked it. Then, I really became angry, whereas before I was mostly annoyed. I pounded on the door, and told him to open the door - that he was never to slam the door on his mother! He refused to open the door. I heard a terrific noise, and headed back down the stairs find a tool to unlock his door. My son, Zach, exclaimed that Kevin had just "jumped out the window!". This added to my surprise, because his bedroom is two floors up. Not only did he jump out the window, but also over the backyard fence. (Which is about four feet to the left of his bedroom window). When he hit the ground, he took off running. Since I was in stocking feet, I told Zach to "go get him". Now Zach is quite a bit bigger, and I had thought, faster. Kevin ran to the street just North of our home, turned right, and headed into the orchard. I then grabbed my shoes, and my car keys and started out after him as well. Zach was unable to catch up with him in the orchard. I then drove South with the intent of meeting him on the other side of the orchard. I never saw him. I drove through the neighborhood streets looking for him for well over an hour. Finally I gave up the search. When darkness fell, and he still hadn't returned, I contemplated calling the police for help, but then decided to wait awhile. He eventually returned and we sat down for a discussion. I apologized for having taken out my frustrations on him, but told him that it was wearing on me that he seemed so addicted to his playstation, and that he needed to make better use of his time. He also apologized, and couldn't explain why he had gotten so angry. About a week later, I was over at the church and I saw the Bates. Angela asked me why Kevin had been down in Provo the other night. She said she had seen Kevin walking along University Parkway. She thought to ask him if he needed a ride, but said he looked like "he knew where he was going". She thought perhaps he was taking a class somewhere in Provo, but thought it odd that he wasn't wearing a coat, and didn't have a backpack with him. She remembers seeing him again when she was driving her girls home from their lesson. I told Angela what had happened at our home. She felt really bad that she hadn't "followed her instincts" and offered him a ride. I am writing my recollection of this event because it seemed to fit another example of what I have read about Prozac creating a high level of irritability or anger in it's patients. While reading the book, Prozac Backlash, I came upon an entry that described this level of agitation - creating the feeling of "wanting to jump out of your skin". Some patients referred to the irritability as "feeling as if their bones were rattling like tuning forks". In yet other cases, the patients described this unexplainable feeling of "wanting to jump off a cliff, or out the window". When I read this, the whole scene played out in my mind again.... My complete astonishment at his reaction, my fear that he could have been injured from jumping from that distance. My worry over where he had gone, and why??? It's not an uncommon occurrence for a mother to feel frustrated over the challenges of raising kids... Why had he reacted so uncharacteristically on this occasion ?