Claire Hanley studied at Cambridge University. She was misprescribed benzodiazepines since the age of 22, when she was working for the European Parliament, and became benzodiazepine free at age 38.
This led to many serious and life-changing misdiagnoses and increases in dosage by doctors which caused years of total disability. Claire wishes she had been told about the risks of severe disability, even when benzodiazepines are taken as prescribed. She also wishes it were commonly understood that physical dependence on benzodiazepines has nothing whatsoever to do with “addictive personality”, irresponsibility or “cravings” and can happen to anyone prescribed benzodiazepines.
This formed her motivation for joining W-BAD as the England Representative and she wishes to help raise awareness so that others can be spared the unnecessary suffering.
Claire founded Prescribed Harm. Org (www.prescribedharm.org) within a year of completing her taper followed by the Change.org petition: Independent Inquiry into Benzodiazepines where she hopes victims’ testimonies can be taken into account by the health authorities.