Online Adderall prescription blamed for 21 year old's suicide trends now
A mother has blamed lax Adderall prescriptions brought in during the Covid pandemic for her son's suicide.
Elijah Hanson was found dead at 21 on the kitchen floor in Tacoma, Washington, on June 25 after filming himself playing Russian Roulette with a loaded handgun.
His brother, Ethan, said that he was abusing Adderall in the months leading up to his death. His mother, Kelli Rasmussen, blames the drug abuse for his suicide.
She told CBS that despite her son not having Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD), he was able to secure a prescription online by lying to telehealth providers - even though he had previously suffered from other mental health issues.
The Covid pandemic led to a laxing of law surrounding the prescription of Adderall. Previously, these scripts were not allowed unless a person was consulted in-person by a doctor. Now a person can receive the drug after only a virtual doctor visit.
Adderall, one the most popular prescriptions for ADHD, is currently facing a shortage amid high demand and manufacturing issues.
Elijah Hanson (pictured), 21, died by suicide in June. He had suffered mental health issues for years. His family said that a recent Adderall prescription he obtained through Cerebral played a role in his death
Hanson (pictured) was playing Russian Roulette with a gun kept in the household when he died by suicide. His mother would later find his dead body in her kitchen
Kelli Rasmussen, Hanson's mother, accused the online telehealth platform Cerebral of being complicit in her son's death.
He received a prescription for the drugs in April, even after the platform denied him in February after deeming him a high-risk patient.
Elijah had been diagnosed with anti-social personality disorder and had received years of treatment at a local clinic.
Cerebral, and platforms like it, arose during the Covid pandemic after regulators laxed laws for the prescribing of ADHD drugs.
Previously doctors would have to meet with a patient in-person to write a prescription, but now only a virtual consultation is necessary.
'It was him and I in this huge battle, constantly looking for therapists, psychiatrists, anybody to take him on to help him with his issues,' Kelli Rasmussen, Hanson's mother, told CBS.
Kelli Rasmussen (left), Mr Hanson's mother, blamed Adderall for her son's death, saying it made his mental health symptoms worse. Ethan Hanson (right), Elijah's brother, said he knew his brother was abusing Adderall
Cerebral is a San Francisco, California-based telehealth platform that used to offer prescriptions for anxiety, ADHD and other medications.
A person using the service can get a prescription written within hours after completing a survey and virtual consultation with a doctor.
The first physician Elijah met on the platform denied him the drugs, citing concerns about his mental state.
He created a new account in April, and was able to secure a prescription for Adderall, according to CBS.
Ethan said he knew his brother had lied and that he was abusing the drugs.
'You can definitely tell he was taking way too much. And
