A mother has made shocking allegations as she claimed her son is being treated worse than a prisoner at a psychiatric hospital where he was admitted.
As 50-year-old Nicola from Liverpool, England, revealed, her 24-year-old son with autism, Tourette’s, and a learning disability was admitted to Cheadle Royal Hospital’s Mersey Lodge four years ago.
The young man was initially detained under the Mental Health Act after he started “lashing out” at his family members, including his brother, mother, and grandparents.
By the age of 14, he was already admitted to a psychiatric hospital for people with extreme mental illness. In 2017, he was relocated to Mersey Lodge where he allegedly remains under constant supervision while locked up in a 423-foot room.
The man’s mother insists that her son is not getting proper treatment and is kept caged like an animal without the opportunity to have contact with other people or someone to talk to.
“Sometimes I have to get out of there just so I can breathe,” Nicola, who is getting ready to start a legal battle to have her son released from his unit, said, The Sunday Times reported.
“Being in that box isn’t right for his autism. The only thing he has to look forward to in life is the things I give him. A PlayStation, a mobile phone, films, takeaways. Every room he enters, they are watching him on a monitor. That’s no life for a 24-year-old.
“We fully appreciate that my son has complex needs but he’s being treated terribly. He’s locked away from the world and has no physical contact with anyone. For his meals to be pushed through a tiny gap in the bottom of the hatch is awful.
“People wouldn’t treat an animal that way and I feel that his care is worse than being in prison. He has challenges but is a loving and caring person who needs stimulation and support.
“He is getting nothing at present. I can’t even hold his hand or hug him because of the conditions he’s kept in.”
As the family’s attorney, Kirsty Stuart, has since expressed, what is happening to the 24-year-old man is probably one of the worst cases she’s ever seen.
She also called on The Priory Group and the Clinical Commissioning Group to work with her and her client to reach a better solution for the young man and allow him to be integrated back into the community.
“Every time I see him it breaks my heart. He has no quality of life, he just exists. I’ve been told by some of those involved in my son’s care that things aren’t working,” the heartbroken mom added.
“It’s difficult not to think that the longer he’s left, the worse his condition will become, until the point where he’s unable to be released.
“This isn’t about money. He has five carers assigned to him all the time. That level of staffing is costly and is probably a waste of money given that he has no contact with anyone.”
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