Admission Details for Patient: O T J (9552)
Gender: Male Age: 30
Marital Status: Single Religion: Wesleyan Methodist
Occupation: Coal miner (former soldier)
Address: Tregarth, Carnarvonshire
Date of Admission: November 25, 1920
Date of Discharge: June 25, 1921
Discharge Category: Recovered
Disease: Melancholia
Supposed Cause: (None stated)
Medical Certificate:
Will not answer when spoken to. Looks dull and morose. Slovenly in his dress. I found him sitting naked in bed. Refused his vest and shirt. He suddenly became very violent and threatened his brother.
Mrs E J J, his mother, informs me that he is inclined to wander for hours away from home scantily dressed and without food. On one occasion he was out all night wandering over the country. He is totally unable to give any account of his wanderings. His mood is variable, some days he is quiet and refuses to talk, on other days he is talkative and violent. He was always a clean, well dressed lad but now has become slovenly in dress and refuses to wash.
Approximate duration of present attack: 3 months
Number of Previous Attacks: 0
Number of Previous Admissions: 0
Number of Subsequent Admissions: 5
Total Number of Admissions: 6
Relatives affected:
Epileptic: No
Suicidal: No
Dangerous: No
Clean Habit:
Food Refusal:
Sleep Habit:
Destructive Habit:
Disposition:
Education:
Physical/Mental State at Examination: Fair health and condition. Black collier's scar right side of his nose. He seems recently to have had scabies although no burrows can be found. There is an excoriation of the skin on the inner surface of right arm over axilla.
Current Diagnosis: Schizophrenia (F20.2)
Case Notes
1920 Nov 29 (copy) - Suffering from Dementia. Very dull and slow in answering questions.
Memory is defective and though he was for four years in the Army he cannot remember the year when the Armistice was signed.
Admits that he has been wandering about the country and upon one occasion was walking all night. Takes no interest in his surroundings beyond stating that he wishes to go home.
Refused food the first day after admission. Dec 2 - His dermatitis has cleared up in a few days under sulphur ointments. Remains listless.
Now anxious to get home. 9 - Still moody and depressed.
16 - Depressed. Worries unreasonably about two small boils he has.
23 - Mopes all day. Weeps for long periods in a retired and quiet fashion. During the last week especially.
Says he will never get better here.
1921 Jan 25 - Very little improvement. Bitterly anxious to get home and often weeps. Has not written home for a while.
Feb 25 - Not quite so depressed. Will now take an occasional walk around the court if asked.
Apr 9 - Has improved mentally and occasionally quite cheerful.
May 1 - working out at present and quite a good worker too.
Mentally condition improved greatly.
May 27 - Discharged on month's trial. June 21 - off Books.
Medications/Treatments: Sulphur ointments (for dermatitis)
Additional Notes
Readmissions:
28th March 1922 (No. 9847) diagnosed with Melancholia with Stupor.
The Medical Certificate reads: Refuses to answer when spoken to, neither will he show his tongue when asked to do so and I found him in this condition during the past two months each time I visited him.
Refuses to take his food.
Looked dull and morose and has not shaved for several weeks.
Mrs E J J, Tregarth, his mother, informs me that at times she has great difficulty to get him to take his food.
Has been for two successive days without touching it, has to be more or less forcibly fed.
Will not answer when spoken to.
Sleeps badly.
The patient was always a clean, well dressed, clean shaven lad. Now he is slovely, refusing to wash and shave.
Discharged recovered 22nd April 1924 after a month's trial.
5th March 1925 (No. 10437) again with 'Stupor' and again transferred to the Service Class on admission.
The Medical Certificate reads:
Will not answer when spoken to.
His eyes are fixed on one certain spot on the wall.
E J J, Tregarth, mother of the patient, says that he has been peculiar for some months. Quiet and morose and when friends come to the house the patient would leave the room. Normally he was lively and talkative, fond of society. During the last month he has not said a single word to anyone, his mind seems blank. During meals he suddenly stops eating, staring at some object on the bare wall, on being reminded to finish his meals, he obeys and resumes eating.
Discharged 26th June 1927.
20th April 1929 (No. 11212) admitted with Mania the cause thought to be army service.
The Medical Certificate reads: Refuses to talk. I have known the patient for many years and our conversation was always in Welsh but for some weeks he only repeats in a loud voice some incoherent words in English.
He takes food with difficulty and during the last two days he has not taken any nourishment.
He has been losing in weight rapidly.
Miss M E J, sister, same address, tells me that he refused to converse with her nor with his father and mother but incessantly he blurts out in a loud voice some incoherent words in English.
Discharged 25th August 1930 after a three week trial.
15th December 1932 (No. 11933) with a diagnosis of Ordinary Mania (although case notes cite Schizophrenia, Dementia Praecox). The Medical Certificate reads:
He informs me that he would like to see people enjoying themselves, free houses open during the day and night and that the people would like to see His Royal Highness coming in at any hour.
He would like to see machines invented to examine all the stuff that moves the body.
He lies in bed most of the time, when he gets his pension money he will shave and go to the village and get drunk.
Few weeks ago he was locked up by the Police.
During these bouts his parents are afraid as he constantly threatens to harm them.
(These facts are given me by his father, WDJ, quarryman).
Discharged 16th May 1935 after a three month trial.
Readmitted as a military patient on 26th May 1937 (No. 12889 - C 1283), transferred to the Service Class on 17th July 1937.
Discharged on 22nd May 1939 after a month's trial.
No further details.
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