Van Putten, Patricia

49y · Female·Respiratory failure sequential to ingestion of Glyphosate due to depression and personality disorder

Patricia Van Putten, a 49-year-old retired teacher, died by suicide via glyphosate ingestion on 18 February 2006, four days after discharge from psychiatric hospitalization for a serious self-harm attempt (throat laceration). She had complex comorbid Major Depression and Borderline Personality Disorder with chronic suicidality. Discharge planning involved intensive community follow-up with daily nursing visits and psychiatric review; a critical component was reliance on her fiancé, Mr Lowe-Brock, to provide continuous supervision over the weekend, which he breached by leaving her unattended. While the coroner found the clinical decision-making and treatment appropriate given the complexity of her case and her resistance to involuntary admission, key preventable vulnerabilities included: inadequate verification of Mr Lowe-Brock's suitability as a supervisor (he later revealed unreported mental health issues), lack of written communication between hospital psychiatrists and her long-term private GP despite his integral role in follow-up care, and insufficient documentation standards. The coroner did not identify the discharge decision itself as inappropriate but highlighted system-level failures in risk assessment, information sharing, and supervision verification.