Maggie

Learning Disability Services

Maggie is a 21 year old woman with a history of behavioural problems. When she was two, her father left her mother, who subsequently had a series of relationships with often violent men. Maggie had begun to self harm, discovering that if she caused herself pain it helped distract her from her feelings of distress.

At the age of 16 she set fire to her room in an attempt to kill herself. She was also abusing alcohol and various illicit drugs. Unfortunately as the fire put others at serious risk, Maggie was bailed to prison and later assessed by the local forensic psychiatrist. She was admitted to The Dene medium secure service, under Section 38 of The Mental Health Act.

At The Dene she engaged well and was able to talk about her problems, which centred on her distress concerning her flashbacks and her unstable mood and impulsiveness. Following an individual assessment she benefited from Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, which helped her to cope with her feelings of distress without resorting to self-harming behaviours or behaviours which put others at risk. In time, she began to understand her flashbacks and other post traumatic symptoms better. Maggie found the prescribed medication helpful in reducing these symptoms. As part of her programme she took part in psychological therapy sessions.

As the programme continued, her level of risk and disruptive behaviour reduced and she was considered to be well enough to move to a rehabilitation ward within the hospital. Here, Maggie concentrated on developing her life skills and began to build on the development of insight related to preventing further offending and her need for illicit substances. As a final part of her programme she moved on to a low secure facility to continue with her rehabilitation.

Case studies are based on real events, but names have been changed to protect the identity of the individuals involved.