On this episode, we hear from Vincent Schmitt and Yoko Motohama, parents of Romain, a 16-year-old boy who tragically ended his life in 2021 after being prescribed a high dose of Paxil — known in France as Paroxetine — and suffering the effects of akathisia for several agonizing months.
Yoko Motohama was born in Japan and earned a Ph.D. in computer science. She did postdoctoral research in the United Kingdom and spent a decade in Japan as an entrepreneur importing French wines.
Her husband, Vincent Schmitt, a native of France, also earned a Ph.D. and became a lecturer in mathematics and computer science at the University of Leicester. Now based in France, close to Lyon, Vincent focuses on applied mathematics in the research department of a multinational company.
Romain Schmitt was born October 12th, 2004, in Leicester, United Kingdom, the son of Vincent and Yoko. When the boy was four years old his parents decided to relocate the family — which also included Romain's younger sister — to France, and not long after that to the Japanese countryside. Romain had already learned English and French and now became a fluent speaker of Japanese. After nine years the family returned to France, in 2018, where 13-year-old Romain started the third year of middle school. He had a good mind for math and physics and was interested as well in geography, philosophy, politics, and even nuclear science and energy, which his grandfather taught him about. Romain was also a good swimmer, played rugby and tennis, and aspired to become a professional soccer player, like his idol Cristiano Ronaldo. His love of the game even inspired Romain to master a fourth language, German, so that he could better follow his favorite team, Bayern Munich.
READ THE FULL EPISODE 18 TRANSCRIPT: www.studiocchicago.com/vincent-and-yoko-transcript
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On this episode, we hear from Vincent Schmitt and Yoko Motohama, parents of Romain, a 16-year-old boy who tragically ended his life in 2021 after being prescribed a high dose of Paxil — known in France as Paroxetine — and suffering the effects of akathisia for several agonizing months.
Yoko Motohama was born in Japan and earned a Ph.D. in computer science. She did postdoctoral research in the United Kingdom and spent a decade in Japan as an entrepreneur importing French wines.
Her husband, Vincent Schmitt, a native of France, also earned a Ph.D. and became a lecturer in mathematics and computer science at the University of Leicester. Now based in France, close to Lyon, Vincent focuses on applied mathematics in the research department of a multinational company.
Romain Schmitt was born October 12th, 2004, in Leicester, United Kingdom, the son of Vincent and Yoko. When the boy was four years old his parents decided to relocate the family — which also included Romain's younger sister — to France, and not long after that to the Japanese countryside. Romain had already learned English and French and now became a fluent speaker of Japanese. After nine years the family returned to France, in 2018, where 13-year-old Romain started the third year of middle school. He had a good mind for math and physics and was interested as well in geography, philosophy, politics, and even nuclear science and energy, which his grandfather taught him about. Romain was also a good swimmer, played rugby and tennis, and aspired to become a professional soccer player, like his idol Cristiano Ronaldo. His love of the game even inspired Romain to master a fourth language, German, so that he could better follow his favorite team, Bayern Munich.
READ THE FULL EPISODE 18 TRANSCRIPT: www.studiocchicago.com/vincent-and-yoko-transcript
On this episode, we hear from Geraldine and her daughter, Cindy. In 2015 Geraldine's ex-husband, Louis, Cindy's dad, ended his life at age 63, the victim of prescription drug-induced akathisia.
[Geraldine] The fact that the doctors kept him on the drugs and didn’t – you know, they don’t brush up and figure out there’s got to be a better way. We can’t just keep doubling up the medication because this man is frantic and calling them at different hours, you know, all hours.
[Cindy] He was never suicidal until the akathisia. You know, he did struggle obviously with the depression and anxiety but he never talked about not being able to go on or suicide or anything like that until it was ramped up with the akathisia.
Geraldine grew up in Brooklyn and, later, Queens, New York. Spending time in Manhattan, she developed an interest in the arts and attended the Fashion Institute of Technology. She got married and moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, where her son, Ben, was born. When Ben was 2, Geraldine returned to New York and her second child, Cindy, was born in Westchester. It was there that she raised her children and worked in a family advertising business. After retiring and moving to Sarasota, Florida, Geraldine studied and developed a passion for drawing and painting. Other interests she has pursued are yoga, tai chi, dance, philanthropy, and volunteering with children and seniors. She now has two grandchildren, ages 7 and 10.
Cindy grew up in the suburbs of New York City, and now lives in Oakland, California, working as a functional/integrative dietitian. Having lost her dad, Louis, in 2015, she’s been involved in suicide and akathisia awareness, education, and support ever since. As a former journalist, she's an avid researcher, and after her father's death, she found Chicago-based MISSD and resonated with its mission. Living in Chicago at the time, she thought it was a perfect organization to get involved in as a way to honor her dad's memory and spread awareness about potential medication side effects. She did her own extensive grief work and joined the board soon after her dad's death. She believes talking about your experiences and listening to others going through something similar helps with the healing process and from feeling isolated or alone in your pain. She adopted a rescue dog, Finley, within a year of her own loss and loves spending time with the dog on the many Bay Area trails. Cindy dabbles in a variety of hobbies in her down time, including traveling, cooking, yoga, learning the ukulele, and fiber arts.
Read the episode transcript: https://www.studiocchicago.com/geraldine-and-cindy-transcript
Find the main podcast page at www.studiocchicago.com/akathisia-stories
Akathisia Stories
On this episode, we hear from Vincent Schmitt and Yoko Motohama, parents of Romain, a 16-year-old boy who tragically ended his life in 2021 after being prescribed a high dose of Paxil — known in France as Paroxetine — and suffering the effects of akathisia for several agonizing months.
Yoko Motohama was born in Japan and earned a Ph.D. in computer science. She did postdoctoral research in the United Kingdom and spent a decade in Japan as an entrepreneur importing French wines.
Her husband, Vincent Schmitt, a native of France, also earned a Ph.D. and became a lecturer in mathematics and computer science at the University of Leicester. Now based in France, close to Lyon, Vincent focuses on applied mathematics in the research department of a multinational company.
Romain Schmitt was born October 12th, 2004, in Leicester, United Kingdom, the son of Vincent and Yoko. When the boy was four years old his parents decided to relocate the family — which also included Romain's younger sister — to France, and not long after that to the Japanese countryside. Romain had already learned English and French and now became a fluent speaker of Japanese. After nine years the family returned to France, in 2018, where 13-year-old Romain started the third year of middle school. He had a good mind for math and physics and was interested as well in geography, philosophy, politics, and even nuclear science and energy, which his grandfather taught him about. Romain was also a good swimmer, played rugby and tennis, and aspired to become a professional soccer player, like his idol Cristiano Ronaldo. His love of the game even inspired Romain to master a fourth language, German, so that he could better follow his favorite team, Bayern Munich.
READ THE FULL EPISODE 18 TRANSCRIPT: www.studiocchicago.com/vincent-and-yoko-transcript