Mother 'devastated' after son with paranoid schizophrenia fled psychiatric unit

A Garda missing persons alert was issued for the man after he absconded from the acute psychiatric unit on Christmas Day. Picture Colin Keegan/Collins 

The mother of a 22-year-old man with paranoid schizophrenia and autism who absconded from an acute psychiatric unit on Christmas Day says she is “devastated and broken” about his situation.

A Garda missing persons alert was issued for the man after he absconded at about 5.30pm on Christmas Day.

He was found in a different hospital more than 10 miles away on the afternoon of St Stephen’s Day. He was subsequently returned to the psychiatric unit in the first hospital.

His mother said: “I myself searched for him all through the night on Christmas night, entering parks, green areas, outbuildings, churches all throughout the city centre, any water areas etc, eventually collapsing at 7am as morning arose.

He had spent all night out in the cold in pyjamas. We feared the worst as the morning went on.

She said she was relieved when he was eventually traced to the second hospital but added it was unknown how he got there as there was no public transport on Christmas Day and he had no money with him. 

She believes he walked several miles and is grateful the weather was mild on Christmas night and into St Stephen’s Day.

She said her son needed to be in a secure supervised service suited to his needs, instead of a psychiatric unit. She is concerned he will become institutionalised in his current setting and is also concerned he was able to abscond. 

The man has paranoid schizophrenia and an autism diagnosis, and is visually impaired. He has been in the same setting for more than two years.

The Irish Examiner previously highlighted the case in October. His family is among up to 400 being represented by one legal firm in relation to medical negligence claims arising out of inappropriate mental health treatment.

Because of the severity of his illnesses, his mother is unable to care for him in her own home, and went to court to seek a domestic violence order against him in August 2022, during which the sitting judge granted her a protection order. The judge described his case as “one of the saddest cases I have ever seen in this court”.

The judge told the mother it was "beyond shocking" she had to "seek recourse in the family courts" to protect both herself and her son.

The man's 2019 diagnosis of autism was followed by "challenging and sometimes violent behaviours within his mother's home, which resulted in her having to obtain a safety order against him", according to a letter forwarded to the HSE's legal team by his mother's legal team.

A HSE report in 2020 described her son as a "vulnerable young adult" with a recent history of "aggressive, unpredictable and disinhibited behaviour and very slow response to medication may increase the risk of violence".

When her son became too old for Camhs mental health services, she was told he would have to go to the UK for a suitable place. 

However, she refused to allow that to happen and the only option was to place him in the unit he remains in now.

At one stage, an offer for a place in a supported living service was found but although costings were supplied to the HSE, he was not accommodated there. Subsequently, the service advised its facilities were not adequate for the needs of the young man.

His mother and her legal team are adamant he does not have the medical needs to remain in the psychiatric unit.

A spokesman for HSE Dublin and Midlands said: “Unfortunately, we are unable to comment on individual cases due to confidentiality and data protection policies. 

However, I can assure you that every effort is made to provide appropriate care and support to patients within our services, and we are committed to ensuring their safety and wellbeing.” 

- If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please click here for a list of support services.