A new mother killed herself in a
hospital room after staff ignored her husband's plea that she should be
put on a 24-hour watch, it was claimed today.
Diana
Mager, 33, was being treated at Green Parks House psychiatric unit in
Orpington, Kent, after suffering a severe form of post-natal depression
after giving birth to Sofia in November 2011.
The
HSBC risk manager, who was self-harming and battling chronic anxiety,
was admitted in June 2012 but committed suicide in August, at a time
when she was being checked every 15 minutes.
Couple: Diana Mager, 33, pictured on her wedding day with her husband Adam, 39. She died last August
She killed herself when she was
alone. Earlier on in her stay she had been allowed out on occasions for
an hour at a time - but had once tried to jump off the Tate Modern
building in central London.
Her
husband, IT consultant Adam, 39, is now planning legal action against
Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospital, reported the London Evening Standard.
Mr Mager, who also claimed that his
wife once smuggled a kitchen knife into the hospital unit, told the
newspaper: ‘Diana was overjoyed at becoming a mother - it was all she
ever wanted.
‘I believe
she would be alive today if she had received the proper care she
desperately needed. Instead, I have to explain to our daughter why her
mother is no longer with us.’
Sad case: Diana Mager (left) killed herself when she was alone at Green Parks House (right) in Orpington, Kent
The death of Mrs Mager, who had
a history of depression, was expected to be outlined in an inquest due
to be opened today - which will also highlight a lack of specialist care
for post-natal depression.
Post-natal
depression usually develops in the first four to six weeks after
childbirth, although in some cases it may not develop for several
months.
There are many
symptoms, such as low mood, feeling unable to cope and difficulty
sleeping, but many women are not aware they have the condition.
It
is common for women to experience mood changes and episodes of
tearfulness after giving birth which is sometimes known as the 'baby
blues' but these normally clear up within a few weeks.
If a woman experiences persistent symptoms, it could be the result of post-natal depression.
The
cause is not completely clear and experts think it is the result of a
combination of things including lack of support, money worries or a
difficult delivery.
But even if someone's life is free of these kind of problems, a woman can still develop post-natal depression.
People
often assume they will naturally adapt to parenthood but it can take
months before people begin to cope with the pressures of being a parent.
Factors that increase
your risk of having postnatal depression include a family history of
depression or post-natal depression or experiencing other mood disorders
such as bipolar disorder.
Huge changes in hormone levels during and after pregnancy were once believed to be the sole cause of post-natal depression.
This is no longer thought to be the case, although hormonal changes may still play a part.
'I have to explain to our daughter why her mother is no longer with us'
Adam Mager, husband of Diana Mager
Mr Mager’s lawyer, Mark Bowman of
Field Fisher Waterhouse, based in Aldgate, east London, said his client
was ‘concerned that more could and should have been done to help her’.
Trust chief executive Stephen
Firn said in a statement to MailOnline: ‘I was deeply saddened by Mrs
Mager’s death and would like to express my sincere condolences to her
husband and family.
‘We carried out a full and thorough investigation which concluded that it could not have been predicted or prevented.'
The trust said it could not comment further while the inquest is ongoing at South London Coroner's Court in Croydon.
DAILYMAIL
No comments:
Post a Comment