A MOTHER who threatened to kill herself and take her baby "with her to a better place" had to go to France for treatment after being discharged by hospital doctors.
The move came after staff wrongly decided that there was no evidence she was suffering from a serious mental illness.
The woman, who is called Anne but asked that her surname is not disclosed, was diagnosed with a personality disorder despite saying she was hallucinating, believing she had super powers and had a "special purpose".
Her child was removed from her custody and she was admitted to Royal Edinburgh Hospital, but was sent home with no medication after just a week.
Her friends, who had raised concern with staff at the hospital but were ignored, arranged for Anne to visit her mother in Eastern France.
At a French A&E, she was correctly diagnosed with puerperal psychosis, a severe mental illness which affects women following childbirth and spent three weeks in hospital.
After returning to Edinburgh in January 2012, she was hospitalised again after attempting suicide. After being discharged from the Royal Edinburgh Hospital into the care of her father, she was taken back to France where she spent a further six months in hospital and a rehabilitation centre receiving treatment.
The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman this week upheld Anne's complaints about misdiagnosis, early discharge and a failure to prescribe medication. Following the ruling she said: "I needed inpatient care, but I didn't get it in Scotland. I was paranoid, having delusions, and hearing things, I was a danger to myself and others. I did reach out - I'd never felt suicidal in my life - but I was seen as attention seeking.
"If I didn't have friends and family I dread to think what would have happened. I'd probably be dead."
Now 34, Anne has returned to Scotland having rebuilt her life. She has a part-time job and has regular contact with her daughter, now three, who lives the rest of the time with her father.
The Ombudsman made a string of recommendations to NHS Lothian, including that the health service pay the patient's 500 euro bill for her subsidised treatment in France and review discharge procedures on the Royal Edinburgh Hospital's Meadows Ward.
The Ombudsman's expert advisor said there were several indications the patient had an abnormal mental state when she was first admitted to the hospital, and that a diagnosis of personality disorder was not backed by sufficient evidence.
Melanie Johnson, executive nurse director at NHS Lothian, said: "We would like to repeat our apology publicly to the patient for the failures in the care she experienced. We accept the report from the Ombudsman and will act on the recommendations as a matter of urgency. This includes reviewing practices and protocols in relation to record-keeping, information sharing and carer involvement in relevant wards in the Royal Edinburgh Hospital."
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