A bereaved mother still can’t come to terms with her 23-year-old son’s suicide the day after he was discharged from psychiatry, despite having warned the hospital that her boy knew exactly what to say to be able to leave.
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“It is inconceivable that my son died 24 hours after he was hospitalized, laments Christine Lafleur, still deeply saddened. It is certain that the system has escaped him and let him down.
It has been almost two years since this mother learned to live with the death of her son, Alex Beauchamp. Aged 23, he ended his life on June 13, 2021.
fight his demons
Raised with four sisters in Gatineau, the young man “with a big heart” fought all his life “his demons”, says his mother. Struggling with attention and opposition disorders, he had dropped out of school at age 13 and struggled with substance abuse and chronic depression.
“He was very smart,” said the 52-year-old woman. He was very surrounded, he helped so many people.
However, consumer problems had “control over him”, laments this mother who was very close to her son.
Marc DesRosiers/ QMI AGENCY
Alex Beauchamps, who loved cycling, took his own life in Gatineau
Even if he had a paying job, an apartment and a girlfriend, the life of the young man capsized in June 2021. Even today, his mother does not understand everything that happened.
“He was having the best year of his life,” she recalls.
His parents, who intercepted him when he had procured material to commit suicide, convinced him to go to the hospital on June 11. On the spot, Ms. Lafleur says she insisted with the staff, saying that her son was a “charlatan” capable of saying what it takes to get his leave.
“I was desperate to get help for my son,” she admits.
After a night in the emergency room in preventive custody under the supervision of a police officer, the young man had agreed to consult a psychiatrist.
According to the coroner’s report, Mr. Beauchamp told the emergency doctor “to have chronic thoughts of death”. The latter entered in the file: “suicidal thoughts with a plan and imminent danger”.
- Listen to the testimony of Geneviève Déziel, mother who also lost her son to suicide, on Yasmine Abdelfadel’s show via QUB-radio :
Feeling of helplessness
However, after seeing the psychiatrist the next morning, the young patient was discharged from the hospital. His parents were not notified.
“The mother lion in me wanted to kill. […] Like mom, I had no rights, no power! I still feel helpless today, she laments, convinced that the doctor did not take the time to read the medical notes properly. He was really sick, he needed help!”
The day after this leave, the young man finally put his plan into action. Even today, Ms. Lafleur is very emotional and still feels guilty.
“I feel like I failed my job, that I am responsible for his death. And I shouldn’t, I’ve been fighting all my life,” she said.
The woman lodged a complaint with the hospital after the death, but the inquest concluded that “standards of practice were met” and that Mr Beauchamp had no suicidal intentions during the psychiatrist’s assessment. The mother is considering her legal remedies.
In her report, coroner Francine Danais recommends that the Ministry of Health and Social Services consider the obligation to inquire with the patient’s relatives during a care plan.
- Listen to Yasmine Abdelfadel’s interview with Anabel Allen-Viau and Mélanie Boucher, workers from the organization young people in mind, which focuses on suicide prevention through conferences in schools via QUB-radio :
Breaking taboos
“Although Mr. Beauchamp’s parents accompanied him when he arrived at the emergency room, there is no mention that they were consulted or their observations are noted in the medical file. However, they are the ones who are most aware of the situation and the condition of their son and they were available to provide clarifications, ”she wrote.
Convinced that she will never recover from this death, the Gatineau resident encourages people to talk about suicide with their loved ones. After her son’s death, she found several notes suggesting he was trying to figure out his mental illness, but never sought help.
“The taboo is that we don’t talk about it,” she says. Poor kid who had to go through this all alone. »