“A man who fell from a tree after an aborted suicide bid is suing a Sydney health service, claiming not enough was done to treat his depression ahead of the accident.” Timothy Walker decided to kill himself 11 days after his discharge from a psychiatric facility, but instead was left a quadriplegic. He “is suing the Wentworth Area Health Service for negligence, claiming not enough was done to care for him” and that he should have been given medication. (Lisa Allan and Kim Arlington, “Man sues over aborted suicide tree fall”, AAP/The Australian, Apr. 16)(via LegalJuice). Update Jun. 6: judge rejects case.
Oz: Failed suicide try, sues health service
“A man who fell from a tree after an aborted suicide bid is suing a Sydney health service, claiming not enough was done to treat his depression ahead of the accident.” Timothy Walker decided to kill himself 11 days after his discharge from a psychiatric facility, but instead was left a quadriplegic. He “is suing […]
3 Comments
It takes two to four weeks for anti-depressants to begin to work. It takes two to four months for anti-psychotics to diminish paranoid delusions.
The sole proven method of preventing suicide is long term enforced treatment. That is not a standard of care, as it violates the law.
In lawyer free zones, such as the military, enforced treatment markedly decreases suicide, murder, and other hard outcomes of mental disorder.
http://afspp.afms.mil/idc/groups/public/documents/webcontent/knowledgejunction.hcst?functionalarea=AFSuicidePreventionPrgm&doctype=foldersearch&parentFolder=ECP&folderName=Essential%20Current%20Policy&searchWords=afspppolecp&TitleOnly=1&sortby=dDocTitle
[Click on the British Med Journal site.]
The health service’s plan worked perfectly. Now let’s see him successfully commit suicice. Allowing the patient to turn himself into a quad was clearly a deviously briliant plan.
“claiming … that he should have been given medication.” Could be a valid complaint – except that if he’d been given antidepressants and attempted suicide, no doubt he’d sue claiming that the drug caused him to attempt suicide.