Mum blasts trust over son's tragic death
The mum of a young man who killed himself after years of mental illness has hit out at the care he received.
Adrian Seal, 22, of Beaconsfield Road, strangled himself with a dressing gown cord in his bedroom at the house he shared with his mum Karen Donne and his fiancee on February 2.
This week Ms Donne, 43, paid tribute to her "generous, loving son," known as AJ, and blasted Sussex Partnership NHS Trust.
"Since October I have been screaming for help, begging them to commit him," she said.
"I have got the phone bills to prove it. They did not take him seriously.
"There was not an inch of my baby's body that was not covered in cuts. I lost count of the number he times he tried to kill himself - in December he slashed his neck with a shard of glass and needed 14 stitches. He said he was ok and they let him come home, but he would have told them black was white because he stopped trusting them."
Before he fell ill eight years ago, Ms Donne said Adrian was a "perfect son," who was popular, well-liked by his teachers at William Parker School and a gifted rugby player.
He loved art and cars and was due to marry 23-year-old Becky Batchelor in September.
His mum, who is housebound, said: "I have lost my right hand. He helped care for me since he was 12 and never once complained.
"Adrian's death was not a suicide, it was a sacrifice. He could not stand putting his family through his illness and he died to protect us."
Adrian gained his security guard licence and worked at a number of big events. He also worked with Tressell Training, and met the Queen and the MP in his official capacity.
But he was dogged by his mental problems which doctors blamed on temporary psychosis brought on by cannabis smoking, before they diagnosed a borderline personality disorder a few months ago.
"He tried so hard to get better but he needed people to reach out to him. He had so many hopes and so many dreams," Ms Donne said.
The case is similar to that of Ty Williams, the 19-year-old who cut his wrists in March last year.
At his inquest, the coroner said the same trust had "missed an opportunity" to help Mr Williams.
Adrian's family also say the trust let them down.
"They should have listened to him and then later they should have listened to us. When he missed appointments they should have followed them up," said Becky.
A spokesman for the trust said: "We were shocked to hear of Adrian's death and extend our deepest sympathies to his family for their tragic loss. We are in very close and regular contact with Adrian's family and will continue to provide as much support as possible at this very upsetting time.
"An inquest into Adrian's death, which will establish the facts surrounding this tragic incident, is yet to be heard and therefore it would not be appropriate for us to comment any further at this time."
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Monday 28 May 2012
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