title: Even among the troubled.
abstract: I received a phone-call recently with some sad news. A patient with a complex psychiatric history who I had been seeing over the preceding 6 months had attempted suicide and was in intensive care. She died later that day. My experience of working with this patient was of a life filled with pain and chaos. She regularly missed clinic appointments and would then present to the emergency department in the evening intoxicated and suicidal, be admitted and discharge herself the next morning. Psychiatric reviews and medication changes were unsuccessful: she seemed to be on a rollercoaster of distress and no one seemed able to help her get off.
authors: Kath
authors: K
authors: O'Connor
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D058005:General Practitioners / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology*