‘Elaine was smiling, alert, and seemed happy’

The jury in the Graham Dwyer trial yesterday heard from a therapist and doctor who cared for the deceased.

Stuart Colquhoun said he was a cognitive behavioural therapist at St Edmundsbury’s Hospital, and that Ms O’Hara had been his patient for almost five years.

He treated her for major depression and generalised anxiety as both an outpatient and inpatient. He said she also had borderline personality disorder, which meant her emotions would feel stronger and last longer than those of other people. His last appointment with her was on August 21, 2012.

“She was in cheerful form, spontaneous, smiling, alert, and seemed happy really,” he recalled. “She was excited about working with the Tall Ships.”

Asked about her mood compared with previous occasions.

“It was good. I thought most of 2012 was good actually,” he said.

“But her mood was probably a bit better than that even, on that day.”

He said he had previously seen evidence of self-harm on Ms O’Hara and she had also told him that someone else had harmed her.

Asked if there was any indication that she was suicidal on August 21, 2012, he replied “no”.

Her next appointment was due to be on September 3.

Under cross examination by the defence, he said she did not mention anything about a noose or hanging herself on that date.

When asked if it would surprise him that she spoke to someone else about that topic on that date, he replied: “It would surprise me, yes.”

Her GP testified that Ms O’Hara’s medical status seemed to have been better in the years before she died.

Dr Mathew Corcoran said he had mainly treated her asthma, but knew she was receiving psychiatric treatment for her depression elsewhere.

The Foxrock GP explained that Ms O’Hara had been a patient at his practice since she was a child. As an adult, she had low Vitamin B12, mild diabetes, and was on a tablet for cholesterol, which was working well.

He was not involved in the management of her depression, but would receive discharge letters from her psychiatric hospital and specialist. He would also enquire about the illness when she visited his surgery and would sometimes renew the prescriptions from her psychiatrist.

“I thought her medical status was better and, overall, she was doing reasonably well in recent years,” he said, confirming that she had never presented to him with self-harm injuries.

He had last seen her on July 10, 2012, when she came in with sinusitis and mild respiratory symptoms, including a slight wheeze and cough. He said she would usually visit when she had such symptoms as she was eager they would not develop in view of her asthma.

On this occasion, he prescribed her an antibiotic and a short course of oral steroids, he said.

Under cross examination by Remy Farrell SC, defending, he was asked about a toxic lung injury she had sustained during an overdose.

“I think the episode may have been a query that Elaine may have aspirated during the overdose,” he replied.