A man who claims his wife walked unobserved out of a psychiatric hospital and later committed suicide has brought a High Court action for damages against the hospital authorities.
Catherine Madigan (37), a primary school teacher and mother of one, has not been seen since she left St Patrick's psychiatric hospital in Dublin on May 14th, 1998, while undergoing treatment there for depression.
She is presumed dead, but her body has never been found, the court was told. Her clothes were found at Bray Head on May 20th, 1998.
Mr Justice Richard Johnson yesterday began hearing the action by Joseph Madigan, a stock controller, Bridge Street, Callan, Co Kilkenny, against the hospital for alleged negligence.
He claims his wife was admitted to the hospital on February 5th, 1998, for treatment for a severe mental illness which caused her to be a danger to herself. On May 14th, 1998, at about 2pm, it is claimed she left the hospital without being formally discharged, walking unhindered out of the building, and had not been seen since.
The hospital denies the claims.
Richard Keane SC, for Mr Madigan, said Ms Madigan had walked out of the hospital unobserved and took her own life. She was a primary school teacher who had overcome a number of significant impediments before her unfortunate death. In 1986 she had been in hospital with depression before getting married and having a family.
In 1986 and 1987 she had attempted to take her life by various means of strangulation.
She had married Joseph Madigan on December 14th, 1996, and they had a son, Conor, on January 16th, 1998. She had suffered from post-natal depression. Earlier, in 1994-95, she had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
After her son was born, she suffered from suicidal thoughts and was on anti-depressants. She was subsequently admitted to different hospitals.
St Patrick's hospital was dealing with her problems in February 1998 when she suffered from depression and a feeling of hopelessness and had difficulty sleeping. Her mother also suffered from depression, along with two relatives.
Mr Keane said it would be claimed that there was clear intent before Ms Madigan's ultimate suicide.
She had threatened to harm herself on a number of occasions and had threatened suicide four days before her untimely death.
At about 2pm on the date of her disappearance, she had indicated to staff in the hospital that she was going for occupational therapy and was allowed to go on her own, he said. Nobody had noticed she was gone until 5pm.
Subsequently she was seen on closed-circuit television leaving the hospital.
In evidence, Mr Madigan said his wife had been admitted to St John of God's in 1987 after an attempt to harm herself by strangulation and had also received treatment at St Luke's in Kilkenny in the same year.
She was subsequently transferred to another hospital after a second attempt to harm herself by overdosing and by strangulation.
In 1998 her condition deteriorated and in January of that year she returned home from hospital but got progressively worse. In February 1998, she was admitted to St Patrick's where she underwent various forms of treatment.
In April 1998 they were driving back to Kilkenny from the hospital when his wife tried to open the door of the car. He had phoned one of the nurses and eventually persuaded his wife to go back to the hospital.
Later he was told that the only option was to have his wife committed. He had visited her every second day.
Asked to describe his wife before her depression came back, Mr Madigan said she was a lady who would do anything to help her friends.
She was an excellent primary school teacher. They had a very short, happy marriage.
She had wanted to get pregnant and loved children. However, after their baby was born it was as if she was unable to have feelings for him. He had not wanted her to be institutionalised for ever and she was in St Patrick's to help get her back home.
The Madigans' GP, Dr Norman Fawsitt, said he had taken Ms Madigan off Prozac for the duration of her pregnancy. When she became quite depressed at the end of December 1997, he put her back on the anti-depressant. In February 1998 he noted she was suicidal and recommended her transfer to St Patrick's for her own safety.
Dr Fawsitt said there was a problem in Ireland with 400 suicides a year and he felt there was a need to ask hard questions as to why they happened and what to do to prevent them.
The hearing continues today.