: To cope with his mental disorders, McDermott was prescribed
: several Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, or SSRIs,
: designed to increase brain serotonin. Low levels of brain
: serotonin can lead to depression and anxiety disorders.

...and, according to the ever-diligent Betty Martini, aspartame (e.g., Nutrasweet in diet soft drinks, Equal added to coffee, etc.) tends to reduce functioning serotonin levels. Did this whole business begin with Diet Cokes? McDermott is pretty large; he might've been relying on aspartame to help him control his weight.

Historical note: Supplemental l-tryptophan was banned by FDA within 2 weeks of Prozac's initial release. Tryptophan is precursor material for making serotonin - it's why folks get so mellow following turkey dinners on Thanksgiving.

The original reason for banning l-tryptophan was because of a link between those supplements and Eosinophila Myalgia Syndrome, a painful and sometimes lethal ailment - which eventually was proven to have come from an early use of Genetic Modification techniques.

A GM bacterium was involved in the manufacture of l-tryptophan supplements, from just one supplier, Showa Denko, in Japan.

However, even when this was understood and proven, the ban on all l-tryptophan supplements was (and still is) continued - while Prozac has become one of the most-prescribed drugs.

Final irony: L-tryptophan itself turns out to be an essential part of what 'cures' Eosinophila Myalgia Syndrome, rather than a cause of it.