Inquiry into death of autistic teenager begins

The mother of a teenager who took his own life has told an inquiry that she has to live with her decision to allow him to be placed in an adult psychiatric ward.

Harris Macdonell died in 2020 at the age of 19.

His mother Dr Jane Macdonell, a former paediatric consultant, told a fatal accident inquiry into his death that she had been unable to cope when his behaviour started to deteriorate when he was 16.

The inquiry, at Jedburgh Sheriff Court, is expected to continue for another three days.

The hearing was told that Harris, of Lilliesleaf in the Borders, had told his GP that he had had suicidal thoughts.

"We were shocked about what he had said, that he'd had suicidal thoughts," said Dr Macdonell.

"We were very frightened, this was a big change. I came off work to be with him.

"We felt things were getting out of control, I didn't know what to do, I was just so worried about him, about him harming himself. How was I going to be able to watch him 24 hours a day?

"I just needed some help with him, I tried to do it on my own but I was just so out of my depth."

Harris had to be itted to an adult psychiatric ward as there were no spaces in the Young Persons Units (YPU) in Glasgow, Edinburgh or Dundee.

Dr Macdonell said the family originally thought Harris should be itted to the Huntlyburn Hospital near Melrose as it was the best place for his care and security.

But the inquiry heard that within a few months she regretted the decision not to keep Harris at home.

"I should never have let him go. I have to live with that," she said.

Dr Macdonell was later asked what she thought of the medical and psychiatric team that had looked after her son.

"On balance, I think they did more harm than good," she said.

"What positive outcome was there, what did it do for him in his life":[]}