Helen's story
Names have been changed to protect anonymity.
Will killed himself by jumping off a high building, despite being under the care of the a hospital. He was one of seven suicides that took place among the hospital's patients in a six-month period.
Helen
My son Will died when he fell from a 10th floor window of a hospital. He was just 26-years old. Will became ill in 1991 and was diagnosed with schizophrenia in January 1995.
He became ill from the side-effects of the old-style medication he was offered but was refused new-style anti-schizophrenia drugs which have been shown to reduce the risk of suicide, despite a recommendation from the country's premier hospital that he should do so.
I am battling to ensure that people with schizophrenia do not suffer from the rationing of more expensive drug treatments.
Will killed himself by jumping off a high building, despite being under the care of the a hospital. He was one of seven suicides that took place among the hospital's patients in a six-month period.
A "review of reviews," published on November 25 1998, uncovered a catalogue of failures that contributed to the deaths.
The report says that it would cost too much to provide a proper secure area for patients. How much is my son's life worth? Will could still be alive today if it was not for this tight-fisted approach to community care.
