A seriously disturbed teenage girl who returned to the Central Mental Hospital after running away does not want to stay there, the High Court has been told. However, there is nowhere else for her to go.
The 17-year-old girl slashed her leg with a blade after absconding at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, while on a training programme outside the hospital. An arrest warrant was issued that afternoon but she contacted the hospital and arranged to return that night. She received five sutures in her leg.
Before her escape the girl, who has been in care for seven years, was said to have been making good progress at the CMH. She was admitted there in March after being held in the acute psychiatric unit of a general hospital.
Before that she had demonstrated violent and aggressive behaviour at a high-support unit and had threatened to kill people and had cut herself with razors. Yesterday, Dr Helen O'Neill of the CMH said she was told at 2.20 p.m. on Wednesday that the girl had left the training project. The gardai had been informed earlier. Dr O'Neill said she contacted the East Coast Area Health Board and its solicitors.
At about 4.20 p.m. the girl telephoned the CMH and said she was in Greystones. She said she had been unhappy at the training programme because the other trainees were aware of her experiences and she found it difficult to cope.
She "could not stand to spend another night" at the CMH and had bought Stanley blades - if she was to be taken back to the CMH she said she would go to her mother's house and slash herself in front of her mother.
Dr O'Neill said she spoke with the girl for a long time and told her she had made such progress while at the CMH it would be a shame to reverse that now. She appealed to the girl not to injure herself and said she would get the girl's solicitor to contact her on a mobile phone number given by the girl, who appeared to be in the company of another.
While the girl was generally receptive to the advice given, her bottom line was that she did not want to return to the CMH. The conversation then ended.
Later the girl rang again and said she had cut herself and her leg was bleeding badly. She was distressed and said she was in Dublin centre and had not been in Greystones. She repeated she did not want to return to the CMH.
After further conversation the girl agreed to return and it was arranged she would be collected in an unmarked Garda car at the Four Courts. She also indicated she wanted to talk to Mr Justice Kelly. The girl was back at the CMH by 9 p.m. and had been very co-operative. She had said she had smoked cannabis while away.
Dr O'Neill said it was reassuring that the girl had contacted the CMH and had come back. She hoped the girl could soon resume her relocation plan.
The self-harm incident was indicative of the stress the girl was under, Dr O'Neill said. The girl wanted to maintain the progress she had made but did not want to be in the CMH. She was very isolated with no family supports and no real confidants.
She had a strong sense of personal isolation, "a very real isolation" and was very sad. She had come under peer pressure at the training programme and would continue to meet this in her future life. She was trying very hard and coping well overall.
Mr Justice Kelly said he was satisfied the girl had made substantial progress but there had been unfortunate setbacks recently. He directed the girl remain at the CMH until further order and listed the case for consideration on October 24th when he would hear from the girl.
She could not stay in total incarceration until the eve of her 18th birthday and then be released. That would be disastrous, he said. On the other hand, he could not allow a situation where she engaged in activities of the sort outlined to the court.
