Winifred Hughes (6660)

Admission Details for Patient: Winifred Hughes (6660)

Gender: Female Age: 25
Marital Status: Single Religion: Calvinist Methodist
Occupation: Domestic servant
Address: Carnarvon, Carnarvonshire

Date of Admission: November 9, 1905
Date of Discharge: June 23, 1906
Discharge Category: Recovered

Disease: Subacute Mania
Supposed Cause: Heredity

Medical Certificate:
Patient's appearance is vacant and expressionless, she talks incoherently and constantly, she is very amorous in her tendency. Patient has attempted to cause her mother bodily harm with a knife, she breaks windows and furniture, she has nocturnal rambles, and has been found in secluded outbuildings gathering moss. She was caught at a Railway Station attempting to steal materials from the bag of a traveller. This information was given by her father, Owen Roberts. Dr. George E. Williams, Tryfan Hall, Rhostryfan.

Approximate duration of present attack: 14 days

Number of Previous Attacks: 3

Number of Previous Admissions: 3

Number of Subsequent Admissions: 6

Total Number of Admissions: 10

Relatives affected: (Two sisters, Miriam and Catherine Ann)*

Number of Previous Attacks: 3

Epileptic: No

Suicidal: No

Dangerous: No

Clean Habit: Yes

Food Refusal: No

Sleep Habit: -

Destructive Habit: -

Disposition: -

Education: -

Physical/Mental State at Examination: Health good. *(Miriam was admitted suffering from phthisis in 1904 aged 18 and died in the asylum after just a few months. Catherine Ann Hughes, Winifred's other younger sister, had been admitted in May 1905 but, although it is likely the women would have met during their time at Denbigh, no mention is made of any contact between them. Catherine Ann was retrospectively diagnosed with Schizophrenia. Readmitted as Catherine Ann Parry in 1917 - she had married in the meantime but was by now separated from her husband - she remained in the asylum until being discharged relieved in 1947. So would have been resident during Winifred's last four admissions.)

Current Diagnosis: Bipolar affective disorder (F31.3)

Case Notes

1905 Nov 12 - Patient's mental condition is one of acute excitement with incoherence and restlessness. Sleeps badly but takes food and is in fair health. 20 - isq. Nosiy excited and abusive. Useless and troublesome.

Dec 5 - The same.

1906 Jan - No improvement. Idle and useless. Quarrelsome. Should soon begin to improve. Mar 9 - Better. More manageable and has commenced to work.

May - Doing well. In Laundry. Soon be fit to leave. Discharged June 23rd 1906.

Medications/Treatments:

Additional Notes

Previous admissions:.

11th May 1900 (No. 5684) admitted from Caernarfon Workhouse with Subacute Mania. The Medical Certificate reads: I. I have seen Winifred Hughes trying to open the window with a comb as a turn screw and as a saw. She was attempting to come out through the bedroom window.

She had her hair decorated with all kind of coloured ribbons and nails as hair pins. Talking all kind of nonsense.

II. Mr Parry, the Master of the Workhouse, informs me that she has been hanging out through the window and that she was shouting and making noises keeping the other inmates awake. This is the third time for her to be brought into the house by the police for wandering aimlessly about the country.

She travelled by rail without a ticket. She is in the habit of tearing her own and other people's clothes. Discharged recovered on 27th August 1900.

15th April 1901 (No. 5825) admitted with Mania and Imbecility, again from the Workhouse. The Medical Certificate reads:

I. I have seen Winifred Hughes breaking the windows of the Receiving Ward, shouting and threatening the attendant Elwyn Williams, also I have seen her burning her clothes and in danger of burning her feet.

Talking nonsense incessantly. II. Mr Jno. Parry the Master informs that she has been hanging half her body out of the window. Mrs. Parry the Matron says that her habits are filthy, messing into the drinking mug.

She was discharged recovered from the asylum on 19th September 1901.

Admitted for the third time on 12th October 1903 (No. 6264) with Subacute Mania.

The Medical Certificate reads: I. Winifred Hughes the patient having been brought here starting an attack like what she had on previous occasions before going to the Asylum.

She shouts, singing and talking incoherently, opening her dress and taking off her shoes and stockings. II. Mrs. Parry, the Matron, says she was up and making all manner of noises all night keeping the inmates awake, and had attempted to throw herself through the window.

Discharged recovered on 20th May 1904.

Readmissions:

28th July 1909 (No. 7310) with Mania.

The Medical Certificate reads:I. Talked incoherent nonsense about her several sweethearts. Her language was obscene. II. Have observed her during the last week behaving in a very peculiar manner dancing and on another occasion sitting down in a crouching position using abusive language though there was no other person anywhere near her. III. Clara Parry, the Matron of the Union, says she accumulates rubbish and caries it about, paper, rags, reels and anything she can pick up. Sings, dances and cries without any cause whatever. Ran away to the town of Carnarvon stating she wished to go to the Police Station to get married.

Discharged recovered on 28th March 1910.

9th August 1912 (No. 7890) with Subacute Mania. The Medical Certificate reads: I. Pt. continually talking rubbish and cannot keep her conversation on the same topic for any length of time.

Carries a lot of rubbish, eg bits of paper, soap, matches and broken comb saying she is going to sell them. General air of a feebleminded person.

II. John Parry, Master of Union Carnarvon: She fancies that everybody is in love with her.

Wanders all over the Union picking up odd bits of paper, rubbish etc which she stores up and carries with her.

Wanders into private rooms and puts other people's clothes on.

Goes to the bedrooms and strips all the clothes off the bed, likewise the mattress, and throws them on the floor. Has attempted to strike a woman with a brace and bit.

She has also been in the Asylum before several times.

Discharged recovered on 13th May 1913.

Diagnosed with Recurrent Mania she was again admitted on 27th May 1916 (No. 8671) this time from her home in Groeslon near Caernarfon.

The Medical Certificate reads:

(a) Simple and childish in her behaviour. Carries all sorts of rubbish and trinkets, decorates herself with all kinds of ferns and flowers. Cries and laughs alternately.

(b) Mr Robert Hughes, Cartrefle, Groeslon, says she wanders about aimlessly, comes home at all hours at night, rambling talk and incoherent statements about marriage.

Parents cannot keep her in the house and runs after small children and frightens them.

Winifred was discharged recovered on 29th September 1917.

On 6th November 1919 she was admitted with Imbecility (No. 9340) and 'some degree of mental deficiency' is recorded in her case notes. The Medical Certificate reads: Found wandering on the high road, almost naked, having escaped from the Carnarvon Workhouse.

Incoherent in her speech and demeanour.

Mrs Jane Hughes, her mother, Groeslon, states that she is unable to keep her in the house. She does not sleep at night and threatens to 'beat' her.

Spends her money and spends them on most frivolous articles.

She was discharged recovered on 18th January 1921.

Winifred was diagnosed with Melancholia when she was admitted on 29th October 1921 (No. 9761).

The Medical Certificate describes her as 'morose and melancholic' and continues: She is incoherent in her speech.

Her mother, Jane Hughes, states that the patient is violent, has threatened to expel her forcibly out of the house. She is destructive, breaks crockery and jewellery. She goes out at night and has delusions that she sees spirits.

Discharged recovered on 23rd February 1923 after 2 months trial.

On 1st March 1924 Winifred was brought to the asylum from the Workhouse for the last time and diagnosed as 'Manic Depressive' (No. 10254).

The Medical Certificate reads: Looks aggressive and is wild. Language obscene and slanderous. Habits dirty. General demeanour defiant and wild.

Mr. John Parry, Carnarvon Workhouse, states that she is quite unmanageable and dangerous to others. She has smashed some windows and has struck the Matron. Has been admitted to Denbigh on several occasions previously.

She was discharged recovered on 24th April 1925 and nothing more is heard of her.