M P (9469)

Admission Details for Patient: M P (9469)

Gender: Female Age: 36
Marital Status: Married Religion: Calvinist Methodist
Occupation: Housewife
Address: Bangor, Carnarvonshire

Date of Admission: July 1, 1920
Date of Death: April 30, 1963
Cause of Death:

Disease: Melancholia
Supposed Cause: Heredity

Medical Certificate:
Excited and restless, rambling and incoherent in her statements. Complains that people are persecuting her and that she has some great case on in connection with some furniture at Mr. Lloyd George's house. J P, husband, says she rambles out at all times of the night, noisy and completely out of control. Dr. Corbet William Owen, Bangor, 1st July 1920.

Approximate duration of present attack: 7 months

Number of Previous Attacks: 0

Number of Previous Admissions: 0

Number of Subsequent Admissions: 0

Total Number of Admissions: 1

Relatives affected: Sister

Epileptic: No

Suicidal: No

Dangerous: Yes, violent

Clean Habit:

Food Refusal:

Sleep Habit:

Destructive Habit:

Disposition:

Education:

Physical/Mental State at Examination: Moderate health. Dull and depressed, reluctant to give much information about herself, states the people have been against her and that she has been worried over domestic affairs.

Current Diagnosis: Schizophrenia (F20.0)

Case Notes

1920 July 5 (copy of official report) - Suffering from Melancholia. She is depressed and apprehensive. She has delusions of persecution that various people have been against her, that she is in great fear of losing her furniture and that people are always insulting her. Since admission she has been very quiet and depressed. 12, 19, 27 - No change. Aug 3 - Now inclined to be restless and has also been impulsive at times.

Sept - The same.

1921 Jan - No further change. Feb - Impulsive and troublesome at times.

May - Unchanged mentally.

June 2 (copy report) Suffering from Mania. She has very exalted ideas. Her conversation becomes very disconnected and rambling. She is frequently very threatening in her attitude and at times very noisy.

She states that she is head of this place and that she owns it.

Oct - No further change.

1922 Jan - Still suffering from Mania.

Apr - Does not improve mentally.

June 9 (copy report) - Suffering from Mania. Excited and noisy.

Impulsive at times and has attacked other patients. Ideas still of an exalted nature.

Oct - Quieter lately but little real improvement.

1923 Jan to Oct and 1924 Jan to Apr - Unchanged. June 5 (copy report) - Suffering from Chronic Mania.

1925 Jan, Apr - No change. Oct - Becoming demented. Quieter than she used to be but still requires constant attention.

1926 - Demented, indifferent. Restless at times. Oct - No change.

1927 Apr - Demented, at times noisy but no so impulsive and dangerous as she was.

1928 June 3 (copy report) - Suffering from Dementia. Comversation very rambling and disconnected. Restless, excited and noisy at times. Will hit out at anyone near her or smash windows.

Untidy and destructive in her habits and requires constant supervision. Subsequent case notes indicate little further change.

She continued to be troublesome with some quieter intervals when she was able to employ herself.

Special Report dated July 1957 - She is deluded, believes she owns the place and pays for everything and becomes noisy and abusive if interfered with. She thinks King Arthur and various men come and visit her during the night and takes food and crockery to her room at bed time in order to give them a meal.

She is showing some dementia, her memory is poor and she is disorientated in time.

Medications/Treatments: Sod. Amytal, Phenobarb., Chloral Hydrate, Largactil ("Special Treatment")

Additional Notes

"Special Treatment" with Largactil noted August 1961, starting at 25 mg tds and increasing to 50 mg tds.

In October 1961 the Largactil was reduced to 25 mg bd when she is described as "ambulent but rather drowsy". Phenobarb was also witheld for the day.

This patient's husband died in February 1934 and a daughter wrote to the asylum as follows:

Could you kindly send me a letter stating that my mother Mary Pritchard is not responsible for my father funrel so that I can claim his insurance money to pay the undertaker they won't let me have the money unless I get a letter from you I can't pay myself as I havent any money. So will you kindly write me a letter as soon as you can.

I remain Yours Truly R J P.

No copy of the reply remains on file but pencilled notes indicate that a certificate was forwarded stating that Mrs Pritchard was not able to look after her own affairs.