Psych Observer – Exposing Bad Psychiatry

Last Updated: Friday, April 18, 2008 | 2:45 PM ET

CBC News

A family has launched a lawsuit against three doctors over the suicide of a man at the Gatineau hospital three years ago.

Relatives of 23-year-old Sébastien Beausoleil held a news conference Friday where they said they are seeking more than $400,000 in damages, alleging that the doctors did not do enough to prevent Beausoleil from taking his life on April 27, 2005.

When Beausoleil was admitted to the Gatineau hospital two weeks before his death, his psychiatrist said he was at a very high risk of suicide.

Two days later, a psychiatrist determined that it was no longer necessary to keep a constant watch on him, and he was left unsupervised for long stretches for several days.

On the eve of his suicide, Beausoleil learned that there was no bed available to him at the Pierre-Janet psychiatric hospital, to which another psychiatrist recommended he should be transferred.

Beausoleil was found hanging in a bathroom from a metal hanger.

A year later, a coroner concluded that he had not received the level of care that he should have. The coroner recommended banning metal hangers in the facility and boosting security. He also said there should be a liaison committee to speed up requests for transfers to Pierre-Janet hospital.