Murder Med for Depression 26/04/2002 Ireland Mother Murders 8-Year-Old Son
 
 Summary:<br><br><div><div><strong>Dr McCaffrey told Paddy McCarthy, for the defence, that since 1995, Dr Derek O&#39;Sullivan consultant psychiatrist to the accused had been treating her with medication for depression, not for schizophrenia.</strong></div><div><strong>&quot;She was given different types of medication for depression ... coming on 12 months after a delivery, it couldn&#39;t have been &#39;baby blues&#39;,&quot; he said.</strong></div><strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;</strong></div><div>ttp://<a href="http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=9&amp;si=740580&amp;issue_id">www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=9&amp;si=740580&amp;issue_id</a> =&nbsp;&nbsp; 7301</div><div>Mother who strangled son a &#39;misdiagnosed schizophrenic&#39;</div><div>Friday April 26th 2002</div><div>A WOMAN on trial for the murder of her eight-year-old son was a &quot;misdiagnosed schizophrenic&quot; and could have recovered &quot;if she had been listened to&quot;, a jury heard yesterday.</div><div>Dr Brian McCaffrey, a specialist in forensic psychiatry was giving evidence in defence at the trial of Jacqueline Costello (30), formerly from Woodlawn Grove, Waterford.</div><div>Ms Costello has pleaded not guilty to murdering her son Robert on October 28, 2000 at Deerpark, Mullinavat, Co Kilkenny.</div><div>Dr McCaffrey told Paddy McCarthy, for the defence, that since 1995, Dr Derek O&#39;Sullivan consultant psychiatrist to the accused had been treating her with medication for depression, not for schizophrenia.</div><div>&quot;She was given different types of medication for depression ... coming on 12 months after a delivery, it couldn&#39;t have been &#39;baby blues&#39;,&quot; he said.</div><div>Ms Costello&#39;s partner Stephen O&#39;Keeffe has already told the court that Dr O&#39;Sullivan told him on a number of occasions that Ms Costello&#39;s mental state was a &quot;delayed result&quot; of post-natal depression.</div><div>An examination of medical reports showed that as far back as 1996 the accused was concerned about her mental state and wanted to know more about her mother&#39;s schizophrenia, Dr McCaffrey said.</div><div>In an interview the accused had made Dr McCaffrey aware that she had suffered a sexual assault and was raped when she was younger. She had also told Dr O&#39;Sullivan of the attacks.</div><div>Reading from Dr O&#39;Sullivan&#39;s notes he said: &quot;I felt those two lines had the diagnosis staring at me; she wanted to know about her mother&#39;s schizophrenia and mentions the sexual abuse at the age of 10.&quot;</div><div>At one stage Dr O&#39;Sullivan prescribed a drug for schizophrenia and Ms Costello &quot;responded well&quot; to it. &quot;To me that was a clue to the diagnosis, it was not for the treatment of depression, but she responded,&quot; Dr McCaffrey said.</div><div>This drug was discontinued and she resumed taking anti-depressants and mood stabilisers. The psychiatrist said that &quot;if she had been listened to&quot; the illness could have been treated.</div><div>He said Ms Costello should not have been allowed to leave Waterford Regional Hospital on the morning of her son&#39;s death.Dr McCaffrey told the court that when Ms Costello strangled and suffocated her son she &quot;felt she was doing the right thing&quot;.</div><div>&quot;She was actually killing Robert but she didn&#39;t realise it, she could not have been persuaded to stop,&quot; he said. The trial continues at the Central Criminal Court.</div><div>Niamh NolanDesktop News</div><div>Ringtones</div><div>Building for the Future</div><div>E-Mail Print</div><div>Free Internet Access | Media Kit | Customer Support | Bookmark Unison | Surf Safe</div><div>About Unison | Corporate Services | Ad Specifications | Contact Unison</div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> 
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