But Sheila's episodes of psychosis can't be described as "unexpected" She had been hospitalized twice in 6 months for exactly that, and following her first stay, Dr F commented that because of the initial slow onset, the prognosis wasn't good. Despite this, she slipped through the net and her meds were reduced to what can only be described as a catastrophically dangerous level without ANYONE monitoring their effects. Because Dr F chose to disregard what she'd told him about her fears regarding her relationship with her children, it's possible to "isolate" into immediacy, what he said of her following her death, but if one adds in the variables that were conveniently left out, one sees a rather different picture..................and that's without taking into consideration the effects on her the last emotionally devastating 18 weeks of her life would have had.
Good morning April,,there was no getting away from it that Sheila was a very sick woman. Made worse by the fact that far less was known about the illness than is now,though having said that,,we're not that further advanced regarding illnesses affecting the brain except that there have been improvements in containing certain conditions with up to date medications.
The biggest problem still remains for anyone who is suffering from psychological impairment is making sure that medication is taken regularly and as prescribed by the provider. As in Sheilas' case,this was being missed for whatever reason,,and I'll stick my neck out by saying that it was because of the side-effects that most medications carry,,then you have to take other products to counteract this. On top of being sporadic with her medication,Sheila also took opiates,which would add insult to injury because cannabis and cocaine don't mix with certain prescription medications.
We don't know how long Sheila had been taking cannabis and cocaine,,but they will have left their mark on the brain,,and most know that these patients are very clever at hiding the fact that all is well,as visually,they can look well,which is deceiving.
Those of us who know how psychologically unbalanced people act,,know that their moods are very unpredictable,as are their actions and they can change in a matter of minutes if they hear something that they don't want to hear.
As DF had said,,the turning point in the discussion over the childrens' welfare/futures,could/would have been the main cause of the catastrophic outcome.
Not one person in that courtroom had any idea of how seriously ill Sheila was,,and that latterly,prior to the tragedy,her condition had deteriorated,,something which was stated by the doctor. Sadly,there was no support for anyone.Neither was there any understanding about paranoid schizophrenia in general.
I should imagine that both June and Neville found it very difficult in dealing with Sheila,and their lack of understanding in a comparatively " modern illness " was beyond them.Both parents had been hard-working,,were getting on in years and were having to try and cope with not only the farm and its workers,but Sheilas' erratic behaviour and also lack of ability to see to the twins,,which would have been left to June. I would think that the strain on both parents would have been evident towards the end,,as mental illness alone is a lot to take on,particularly at their time of life.
I'd have said that things kicked off as soon as Jeremy had left.First with the arguing,,then we all know how it sadly ended.
