Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Campaign group was set up after suicides of men
SEVERAL concerns have been raised in recent years about mental healthcare in Tayside — particularly after the closure of the Mulberry Unit at Stracathro Hospital in Angus earlier this year.
When the unit was closed at on February 1 it was revealed by NHS Tayside that there was a junior doctors shortage and there would be a temporary closure which would see staff and inpatients move to Carseview.
Meanwhile, a campaign group called the Lost Souls of Dundee was also set up in 2015 demanding changes to mental healthcare in the city, particularly at the Carseview psychiatric facility.
Four men took their lives between 2010 and 2015 after spells there as patients. A petition for change organised by the group has garnered more than 1,000 signatures and those involved have previously protested in City Square.
Mandy McLaren is one of those people behind the group. Her son Dale took his own life in 2015 at the age of 28 after he left Carseview, despite claims that he told medics how he had thoughts about killing himself and had tried before.
A five-day fatal accident inquiry (FAI) into the circumstances of Dale’s death is to be held at Dundee Sheriff Court next month, to see if lessons can be learned from what happened.
Dale was treated at the Carseview Centre between January 8 and 10 in 2015 after concerns were raised
about his wellbeing and safety. The Charleston father-of-one had been hearing voices, having paranoid ideas and tried to take his life days earlier. He became restless and left the facility on January 10.
Dale was further assessed on January 23 but wasn’t detained on that occasion, and he was found dead just four days later by Mandy.
The remit of FAIs is often to see if any “reasonable precautions” could have been taken to prevent a death. They can also determine whether there were any defects in the system of working that contributed to a death.
If you feel suicidal, or just need someone to talk to, volunteers at the Samaritans are on hand to help 24 hours a day. Contact them by calling 116123, or by emailing jo@ samaritans.org.