Teacher’s husband sues hospital over ‘suicide’

THE husband of a teacher who allegedly killed herself after leaving a psychiatric hospital while undergoing treatment, yesterday started a High Court action for damages.

The action by Joseph Madigan a stock controller of Bridge Street, Callan, Co Kilkenny against St Patrick’s Psychiatric Hospital in Dublin alleges negligence.

The claim alleges that 37-year-old Catherine Madigan was admitted to the hospital on February 5, 1998 for treatment for a severe mental illness.

It is alleged that on May 14, 1998, she left the hospital without being formally discharged by walking unhindered out of the building and had not been seen since.

The hospital denies Mr Madigan’s claims.

Richard N Keane, SC for Mr Madigan, told the court that Mrs Madigan had walked out of the hospital unobserved and took her own life.

Her clothes were found at Bray Head on May 20 that year, but her body was never recovered.

Counsel said this tragedy came about because of the failure on the part of the hospital to have a reasonable or proper standard of care for the patient.

He said she had died on May 14, 1998.

In 1986 the primary school had been hospitalised with depression prior to her getting married and having a family. In 1986 and 1987 she had attempted to take her life.

She married Joseph Madigan on December 14 1996 and they had a son, Conor, on January 16, 1998. After the birth Mrs Madigan had suffered from post natal depression.

Earlier in 1994/95 she had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and was in remission.

After her son was born in 1998, she suffered from suicidal thoughts and was on anti depressants.

Mr Keane said it would be claimed there was clear suicidal intent prior to Mrs Madigan’s ultimate suicide. She had threatened to harm herself on a number of occasions and had threatened suicide four days before her death.

At about 2pm on the date of her disappearance, Mrs Madigan had indicated to staff in the hospital she was going for occupational therapy and was allowed to go on her own. Nobody at the hospital had noticed she was gone until 5pm.

Subsequently she was seen leaving the hospital on closed circuit television.

In his claim Mr Madigan alleges the hospital failed to exercise the degree of skill and care expected of those who profess to operate a specialist psychiatric hospital with specialist services for mentally ill patients.