I begged docs to section my son after he tried to kill himself twice ..
TEENAGER DEATH TRAGEDY
A HEARTBROKEN mother is demanding answers after her teenage son tragically took his own life just hours after discharging himself from hospital following two suicide attempts.
Paul Quinn, 19, died from a drug overdose at about 12.30pm on Thursday, having been taken to Wishaw General Hospital, Lanarkshire, on two separate occasions the previous evening.
He had been feeling low following the death of a friend five weeks earlier.
Mum Christine Cunningham said her son, from Glasgow’s Cardonald, was initially found lying on the street and had to be resuscitated before being taken for treatment. He then left the hospital.
But about 7.30pm on Wednesday, Christine received a call to say Paul, who had been staying in Hamilton, was again at Wishaw General having attempted suicide for a second time.
She told how the family begged doctors to section Paul, who was desperate to discharge himself again, despite doctors warning he would not survive if he left.
She said: “When we arrived, Paul was becoming increasingly agitated and kept trying to take his oxygen
BY NICHOLAS KEYDEN nicholas.keyden@reachplc.com mask off. Doctors kept telling him that even if he stayed in for treatment, he was far from being out of the woods and may still pass away or suffer brain damage.
“They told him straight, ‘If you leave here you will not survive’.
“But he kept trying to leave. I was practically on my knees begging them to section him while screaming, ‘You can’t leave him like this. Please save my boy, you’re killing him’. But in his own words, Paul said, ‘F*** it’, and was determined to leave.”
Christine said as his family sat with him in the car park, Paul – who was autistic and suffered from bipolar and attention deficit hyperactivity disorders – slipped in and out of consciousness while continuing to say he was “going to do it”.
In Scotland, an emergency detention certificate can be issued on a doctor’s recommendation, allowing a person to be held in hospital for up to 72 hours for assessment.
The doctor can grant the order if they believe the patient has a mental disorder, impaired decision-making over treatment because of that condition or poses a significant risk to their own or other peoples’ safety.
The patient must agree to any treatment given. But just hours after being released from hospital, Paul had taken a third overdose. This time he did not recover.
Christine says she only found out the devastating news when a well-wisher got in touch via Facebook later that morning to send their condolences.
Now she is determined to get answers on why her son was allowed to leave and plans to campaign for a change in the law on sectioning once she has laid Paul to rest.
She added: “Paul should have been sectioned. He was screaming out for help.”
Dr Jane Burns, NHS Lanarkshire medical director, said: “Our thoughts and sympathies go out to the family at this difficult time. We will carry out a review and contact the patient’s family to give them the opportunity to share their views and raise any questions they have.”
A fundraiser has been set up to help Paul’s family with costs. To donate, visit www.gofundme.com/f/ in-memory-in-paul-quinn. It was launched by his sister-in-law Shannon McDonald, who hoped to raise £1000 – a total already passed.
A balloon release celebrating Paul’s life was due to take place at Penilee Farm, Glasgow, last night.