Psychiatric patients kept in hospital due to lack of drug

Psychiatric patients in the northeast are being forced to remain in hospital because of a lack of funding for a treatment that could allow them to lead a normal life.

Up to a dozen people with schizophrenia in Co Meath are unable to access a drug used to treat severe cases because the clinic providing the service is operating at full capacity, according to local sources.

The mother of one of the affected patients, Lorraine Nolan from Clonmellon, has appealed for extra funding so her daughter can be treated with Clozaril, a powerful anti-psychotic drug, after other treatments failed to improve her condition.

Her daughter Danielle has spent the past eight weeks in the psychiatric unit of Our Lady’s Hospital in Navan due to her inability to access treatment with Clozaril. She was placed in the unit for her own safety and that of others after suffering a psychotic episode just before her 30th birthday.

Ms Nolan said doctors have told her that her daughter could recover completely and be able to lead a full life if treatment with the drug works. However, this service is not available locally because the nurse administering Clozaril has reached her full complement of patients.

“It’s a desperate situation. We’re watching our daughter waste away in there simply because there is no one to administer a treatment that could change her life,” said Ms Nolan.

‘In limbo’

She said it was “crazy” that her daughter was “stuck in limbo” in hospital at a cost of €1,000 a day to the taxpayer when treatment was available but cannot be accessed.

The Health Service Executive has acknowledged the service needs of Clozaril patients in Co Meath are exceeding the capacity of the service currently in place.

“Management are actively addressing and reviewing this issue to see how the service can be provided in future across Louth-Meath within existing resources,” a spokeswoman said.

The last government ordered the diversion of €12 million in funds supposedly earmarked for mental health, saying it was not possible to spend it this year. Ms Nolan said this was “ludicrous” given the needs of her daughter and other psychiatric patients.

Local Sinn Féin TD Peadar Toibin called on Minister for Health Simon Harris to intervene to resolve the issue immediately. "The issue of mental health has rightly been to the fore of recent political discussion. Here is an example of a resource cutback leading to extreme difficulties for patients and families."

Ms Nolan said her daughter was only diagnosed last year after the family spent years seeking help for her. She experiences episodes of paranoid schizophrenia, including hearing voices.

She has not responded to treatment with other medications and her medical team now want to treat her with Clozaril, which requires close supervision as it is a powerful drug with significant potential side-effects.

Her daughter could seek treatment outside the family’s HSE catchment area but this would mean starting again with a new medical team, said Ms Nolan.

“Trust is very important in the relationship between a psychiatric patient and the doctors treating her. They would also have to first try out the medications that haven’t worked for a number of months before administering Clozaril.”