Inquest into the Death of Paul McLOUGHLIN
Deceased
Paul McLOUGHLIN
Demographics
59y, male
Date of death
2022-01-21
Finding date
2024-04-08
Cause of death
incised injuries to the neck
AI-generated summary
Paul McLoughlin, a 59-year-old man with long-standing bipolar affective disorder, schizoaffective disorder, and heavy cannabis use, died by suicide via incised neck wounds while on day leave from Graylands Hospital. He was an involuntary patient under a treatment order. His mental health appeared to be improving during his 17-day admission, with successful previous day leave periods. The coroner found his death could not have been anticipated and that the supervision, treatment and care at Graylands was of good standard. Key clinical lessons include recognising that suicide is fundamentally unpredictable despite best risk assessment practices, that suicidality can fluctuate rapidly, and that clinical improvement does not eliminate chronic suicide risk in vulnerable patients.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Specialties
Contributing factors
- long-standing mental health conditions including bipolar affective disorder and schizoaffective disorder
- chronic social isolation and dysthymia
- heavy daily cannabis use with cannabis withdrawal symptoms
- impulsive personality style
- vulnerability to stress including family conflict with brother
- history of previous suicide attempts
- refusal to engage with outpatient recovery programs and alcohol/drug counselling
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