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FIRE AFTERMATH: Dealing with Mental Illness - Revealing a Mother’s Anguish

April 6th, 2006 by admin

It isn’t easy for Diana Downey to talk about how her son, Sean Downey, went from an ambitious bright teenager to the youth accused of arson in the Gurdwara Western Singh Sabha Sikh Temple fire. But she hopes telling her story will help other families and youth get the help they need before it is too late.
The fire destroyed the interior of the temple on March 26 but Sean’s problems started more than a year before. Diana says Sean was always very outgoing and he had a high IQ. He dreamed of becoming a police officer or joining the military.
“He loves criminology books,” says Diana. “He read them over and over.”
He also had an independent streak. When he was only 17 years old, he left home. Diana, who remains very close with her son, felt he wasn’t ready to leave home.


When he left home in May of 2005, Sean first stayed with his older sister, says Diana, who starts to cry as she tells the story. It was his sister that first noticed Sean was talking to himself, she says. In one instance his sister noticed Sean talked all night long.

In September of 2005 Sean moved in with his older brother, says Diana. His older brother was trying to help Sean get a job. Diana, who lives in Springhouse, came into town to see Sean about twice a week. She started to notice at this time he was very stressed and emotional. She says he was hurting and would break down and cry with Diana.

By Christmas time he was more anxious and stressed, says Diana. He wasn’t eating and he was getting thin. Diana believes he wasn’t eating because he couldn’t afford groceries. The family spent Christmas apart although Diana visited with each of her children and spent a lot of time with Sean.

High stress in a vulnerable young person’s life can trigger the development of a mental illness, says Early Intervention Case Manager Colleen Crossley who worked with Sean.

Crossley says holidays can be hard for anyone but for the mentally ill it is a very difficult time.

New Year’s Eve of 2005 was when Sean had his first breakdown. Diana’s older son called her on that day and told her Sean was missing. The family spread out and searched for Sean all night, says Diana. On New Year’s Day Diana went to the hospital to check for Sean there. The hospital staff told her Sean was in Gateway, a crisis stabilization centre that gives people a chance to get their feet on the ground.

Sean knew he was in trouble and called police to come and pick him up, says Diana. He signed himself into Gateway. When Diana had a chance to speak with Sean, she learned that he spent the night running around town with the belief that the people he was living with were chasing him. He was paranoid, Diana says.
“He thought everyone was after him,” says Diana. “That was the first time I heard him talking that way. We were both crying.”

After leaving Gateway he was referred to the Community Mental Health office and saw a psychiatrist. Diana came with him to see Crossley but Sean would not let her come in, says Diana.

“He wanted to do things on his own,” she says. “He wanted to be independent.”
Crossley says the family really needs to be involved in these cases and she wishes Diana could have come in to meet with her.

Later Sean got a job and was doing shift work. He didn’t come to see Crossley again. He spent a lot of time working on his high school diploma at GROW or at the library, says Diana.

Sean was sharing the rent and buying his own groceries, she says. Diana was aware that he was taking medication because she took him to the drugstore to get it. She didn’t know what the medication was or what he had been diagnosed with.
About a week before the fire, Sean told Diana he was having an allergic reaction to the medication. Diana was trying to urge him to take herbal medicine.
Diana says she saw Sean on the Saturday before the fire and Sean told her he was hearing voices. He also told her he doesn’t like hearing the voices so he drinks, she says.

On the morning of the fire Sean went to the hospital but he left before he could get help, Diana says.

“I am proud of Sean for trying so hard to be independent,” says Diana. “He is not a violent person. He is a sensitive caring person.”

Diana hopes that there will be more education about mental illness starting in elementary schools.

Crossley and BC Schizophrenia Society coordinatior Cindy Parsons want the public to know where people can go to get help. Your family doctor, Child and Youth Mental Health at 392-4963, BC Schizophrenia Society at 392-5553 or Adult Mental Health at 398-4465 are good places to contact.

There is also Gateway, the hospital, crisis line, NOOPA Youth centre, the police or outreach workers.

“The important thing is to ask questions and alert somebody if you need help,” says Crossley.

By KAREN LONGWELL
Tribune Staff Writer
Williams Lake Tribune
Apr 06 2006

Click here for the link to the article.

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