In 2020, Melina died of a drug overdose. The father is suing the Tyrolean Kliniken. On Tuesday, the doctor who had released the 13-year-old from the clinic just days before her death was interviewed.
“I have two memories of the patient — one faded and one bright,” said the doctor, who works at Hall’s Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Unit. The first memory refers to the year 2013: “We diagnosed the patient, who was very young at the time, with a psychiatric illness – the situation between her parents was difficult, from which she had suffered a lot.”
Seven years later, the paths of the doctor and the young Tyrolean crossed again. On August 4, 2020, she was admitted to Hall for endangering others. The doctor, who at the time was the senior doctor in charge of the closed area, only got in touch with Melina the next day at the start of the shift (name change). He had read all the findings about her and made the rounds. “The patient was still aggressive at night, but not to me anymore. So the coercive measures like the fixation can also be resolved,” he explained.
excluded suicidality
In front of his colleagues, he spoke to Melina about suicidal tendencies. “She has always denied this. I believed her too,” he said. It was purely about investigating an acute danger to yourself or others, because that is the condition for housing. “It turned out that these criteria no longer existed.”
Markus Abwerzger, family lawyer: “Did you know at the time that the patient had a serious addiction problem and had been admitted for a drug overdose a few days earlier and in May and July?” “Yeah, I knew that,” the doctor admitted.
“Another overdose is no reason for housing”
He therefore made the decision to fire Melina. “How did you come to the conclusion that there was no self-harm despite everything?” asked Abwerzger. “The Housing Act offers limited scope for decision-making. Under the law, the possibility of another overdose is not grounds for incarceration.”
He suggested a number of therapies to the patient – for example, in the open or outpatient setting. “In your opinion, was the patient’s drug use a significant health hazard? Especially because you offered her so many therapy options?” Not only did the lawyer want to know, but so did Judge Manuela Kitzbichler. After repeated inquiries, the doctor finally replied: “Yes, we assumed it was an addiction that needed treatment. Our decision to remove the placement did not mean that we made a decision that we no longer wanted to treat the patient.”
Expert judgment is obtained and other witnesses are questioned
The judge decided to seek advice from an independent expert. This is to assess whether the treatment was lege artis, ie in accordance with the regulations. Other witnesses are also being questioned.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
