Coronial
VICcommunity

Finding into death of JJ

Deceased

JJ

Demographics

70y, male

Coroner

Coroner Simon McGregor

Date of death

2018-09-02

Finding date

2021-04-14

Cause of death

Hanging

AI-generated summary

A 60-year-old man with recent pituitary surgery developed persistent fatigue and depressive symptoms. Despite normal cortisol levels, he remained convinced his symptoms were due to hormonal deficiency rather than depression. Following a serious overdose attempt, he was admitted to psychiatry, improved during admission, and was discharged with antidepressant therapy and community follow-up. However, he ceased taking his psychiatric medications and died by hanging 3 days after discharge. The coroner found that while Alfred Health's care was appropriate, Monash Health's community team should have explicitly documented and reinforced medication compliance, particularly given his documented belief that he didn't have a psychiatric illness, recent serious overdose on stockpiled medications, and that his antidepressant had only been initiated 2 weeks prior and required dose titration for full therapeutic effect.

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Specialties

psychiatryendocrinologygeneral practice

Error types

communicationsystem

Drugs involved

venlafaxinequetiapinemelatoninthyroxinetestosteronehydrocortisol

Clinical conditions

major depressionsomatic symptom disorderpituitary macroadenomahypopituitarismsuicidal ideationanxiety

Procedures

pituitary adenoma resection

Contributing factors

  • Major depression with somatic preoccupation and overvalued ideas about cortisol deficiency
  • Medication non-compliance with antidepressant therapy
  • Insufficient documentation and reinforcement of medication compliance by community mental health team
  • Antidepressant commenced only 2 weeks prior to discharge with inadequate time to reach therapeutic effect
  • Patient's firm belief that he did not have a psychiatric illness
  • Recent serious polypharmacy overdose attempt
  • Lack of explicit exploration of medication adherence by CATT at follow-up visits

Coroner's recommendations

  1. Monash Health CATT should affirm that medication compliance is a regular part of their clinical reviews for patients with pharmacological treatment plans for major depression, along with assessments of mental state, current situation and clinical risk
Full text

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