{"id":442817,"date":"2026-04-19T08:09:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-19T08:09:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/442817\/"},"modified":"2026-04-19T08:09:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-19T08:09:09","slug":"i-never-thought-something-like-this-could-happen-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/442817\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018I never thought something like this could happen\u2019 \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tri\u00f3na and Ed Enright are at their home in Coolmain, west Cork<\/a>, looking at a photo of a memorial plaque to their daughter Anne.<\/p>\n

Anne was the eldest of the couple\u2019s three daughters and the picture they paint is of an outgoing, chatty, hugely popular teenager who seemed to be enjoying life to the full when tragedy struck.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnne had just qualified as a lifeguard,\u201d recalls Ed. She also played camogie \u201cbut she probably loved the social aspect more than the playing. She was into fashion … she had a summer job at an adventure centre here in Kilbrittain, the West Cork Secret.\u201d<\/p>\n

His wife Tri\u00f3na adds: \u201cShe loved school, I used to tell her to stop studying she was studying so much \u2013 she wanted to be a dietitian and had just started fifth year and was loving it because transition year didn\u2019t suit her at all but at the same time she wasn\u2019t a bit nerdy \u2013 she could have the craic.\u201d<\/p>\n

She died by suicide<\/a>, aged just 16, on September 17th, 2024.<\/p>\n

Her death for the family came out of the blue after a summer of fun. She was out at festivals, Longitude and others, that year and had the summer of her life, recalls her mother.<\/p>\n

Like many adolescents, Anne had developed acne, appearing first when she was just 11. Her mother, a pharmacist at Cork University Hospital, says it was treated first with over-the-counter creams, then prescription antibiotics after visits to their GP. It would improve, only to worsen again later.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnne\u2019s acne would flare up and down, but it was at its worst during Christmas of fourth year and was starting to cause her distress \u2013 it was all over her back and she had the TY [transition year] Ball, so we got a referral to a consultant dermatologist in Dublin,\u201d says her mother.<\/p>\n

The consultant prescribed Roaccutane<\/a> and her mother remembers well the conversation she had first with the consultant and later with Anne about going on the drug and the risks associated with it. Tri\u00f3na recalls the consultant spoke about side effects such as dry skin and bleeding lips, and \u201cmood changes\u201d were mentioned, but Tri\u00f3na\u2019s only concern was the risk of suicide.<\/p>\n

\"AnneAnne Enright <\/p>\n

\u201cI was very conscious about the risks with Roaccutane because when I qualified in 1999 there were all these cases coming out and a black box warning, the highest level of drug warning in the US, so it was always on my radar and Anne and I had a big chat about it on the way home.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe spoke about it all the way from the Red Cow [M50 roundabout in Dublin] to Tipperary, and I remember saying to her, \u2018Anne, suicide is forever\u2019 so we did talk about it seriously, but she was so happy to be going on it because she knew it worked for most people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Anne had come off Roaccutane five days before she took her own life. She was found by her sisters Kate, then aged 13, and Tessa, then aged nine. She had an older half-sister Emma.<\/p>\n

Since her death Tri\u00f3na and Ed Enright have rigorously researched Roaccutane.<\/p>\n

Tri\u00f3na accepts that, while all acknowledge there is an association between Roaccutane (isotretinoin) and mood changes, the issue of whether there is a causal link between the drug and depression, attempted suicide and suicide is unproven. <\/p>\n

Nonetheless, she remains convinced that it was going on the drug and then possibly coming off it that led to her daughter\u2019s decision to end her life. She points to a line on a patient information leaflet about Roaccutane available<\/a> on Ireland\u2019s Health Products Regulatory Authority<\/a> (HPRA) website.<\/p>\n

In a section warning about \u201cMental Problems\u201d, under a heading stating \u201cVery rare effects (may affect up to 1 in every 10,000 people)\u201d, the leaflet states: \u201cSome people have had thoughts about hurting themselves or ending their own lives (suicidal thoughts), have tried to end their own lives (attempted suicide), or have ended their lives (suicide). These people may not appear to be depressed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Following an inquest into Anne\u2019s death last summer, the coroner Frank O\u2019Connell decided to notify the HPRA that the student had died days after coming off a six-month course of isotretinoin for acne.<\/p>\n

He said there was no hard evidence linking her death to the medication but \u201cit would be remiss of this court not to refer the case to the HPRA as there are known and recognisable risks associated with this medication\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe regulatory authorities need to know about this,\u201d said O\u2019Connell as he returned a verdict of \u201cdeath by suicide in a 16-year-old with no known previous relevant history but in the immediate aftermath of a six-month course of isotretinoin for acne\u201d.<\/p>\n

In August the HPRA issued a drug safety newsletter<\/a> saying adverse psychiatric reactions to such drugs continued to be reported. \u201cThis includes cases of completed suicide associated with isotretinoin,\u201d it said, adding it was reiterating its warning to healthcare professions to be aware of the importance of discussing \u201cpotential psychiatric risks with patients before, during and, in the case of isotretinoin, after treatment\u201d.<\/p>\n

Since the beginning of 2021, the authority has been notified of 10 suspected adverse reaction reports \u201cdescribing mental health problems, including anxiety, stress, depressed mood\/depression and negative thoughts, following treatment with Roaccutane (which contains the medicine isotretinoin),\u201d a spokesman said.<\/p>\n

\"AA portrait of Anne Enright at her home in west Cork. Photograph: Chris Maddaloni <\/p>\n

\u201cOf these reports, a small number describe suicide. Please note that when the relevant number is less than five, it is described as a small number to avoid any potential, inadvertent identification of the individuals concerned.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile it was not possible to determine whether Roaccutane had a causal role in these cases, the HPRA has issued safety communications to reinforce awareness among healthcare professionals of the existing warnings and advice relating to the risk of psychiatric adverse reactions with isotretinoin and other oral retinoid medicines,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Following reports in the UK that 10 suicides had been linked to the drug in 2019, an expert safety review found in April 2023 the benefits of the treatment for severe acne outweighed the risks but recommended patients and their families receive better information about the risks of isotretinoin.<\/p>\n

The exact number of prescriptions for Roaccutane issued in Ireland each year are not known but dermatologists who spoke to The Irish Times on background said they prescribed it thousands of times each year. It is a common treatment option.<\/p>\n

The Health Service Executive said there had been \u201creports of people experiencing mood changes while taking isotretinoin\u201d but \u201cthere\u2019s no proof that these were because of the medicine\u201d.<\/p>\n

If a patient on the drug feels depressed, anxious or aggressive or has suicidal thoughts, they should \u201ccontact your GP immediately\u201d, it said.<\/p>\n

\"TriónaTri\u00f3na and Ed Enright at the Col\u00e1iste na Toirbhirte secondary school in Bandon, where there is a memorial bench and garden in memory of their daughter Anne. Photograph: Chris Maddaloni <\/p>\n

Carsten Brandt, spokesman for German company Cheplapharm, which has made Roaccutane in Europe since 2024, said they were deeply saddened to learn of Anne\u2019s death, extended sympathy to her family and stressed \u201cthe safety of our patients is our top priority\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe continue to work closely with regulatory authorities worldwide to monitor and evaluate all safety data related to our product. Due to patient confidentiality we cannot comment on individual cases, but we take all reports seriously and thoroughly investigate them in line with regulatory requirement.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Tri\u00f3na Enright, the line in the manufacturer\u2019s leaflet that people on Roaccutane may not appear depressed is \u201cfrightening\u201d as it suggests parents and family can be as vigilant as she was for signs of depression or suicidal ideation and there simply may be no such signs to notice.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnne was constantly telling me how happy she was to be on it. Because of that I never thought something like this could happen, certainly without me noticing some change in her and there was no change.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know the literature on Roaccutane and suicide isn\u2019t conclusive, and we don\u2019t want to be scaremongering, but this is our experience. It\u2019s not everybody\u2019s experience but we can\u2019t ignore what happened our daughter and we just want people to go into this with their eyes wide open as to the risks. We don\u2019t want any other family to experience the nightmare we\u2019re going through.\u201d<\/p>\n

For support: Samaritans on freephone 116 123 or text HELLO to 50808. Pieta freephone: 1800 247 247 or text HELP to 51444. Or visit yourmentalhealth.ie<\/a><\/p>\n

Darkness Into Light 2026 is a nationwide 5km walk taking place at 4.15am on Saturday, May 9th, and is Pieta\u2019s biggest annual fundraiser<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Tri\u00f3na and Ed Enright are at their home in Coolmain, west Cork, looking at a photo of a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":442818,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[73],"tags":[79,1877,18,70825,19,17,167,15525,51912,7001,2212],"class_list":{"0":"post-442817","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-business","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-cork","10":"tag-eire","11":"tag-health-products-regulatory-authority-hpra","12":"tag-ie","13":"tag-ireland","14":"tag-mental-health","15":"tag-pieta-house","16":"tag-samaritans-ireland","17":"tag-suicide","18":"tag-weekendreview"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/116430358120332263","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/442817","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=442817"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/442817\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/442818"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=442817"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=442817"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=442817"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}