Colton Clarkin needed a kind of care P.E.I. doesn't offer, psychiatrist tells inquest

Warning: This communicative deals with suicide. If you oregon idiosyncratic you cognize has been struggling with intelligence health, you tin find resources for assistance astatine the bottommost of this story.

The psychiatrist who treated Colton Clarkin during his enactment astatine the Hillsborough Hospital says helium was "flabbergasted" when helium learned his diligent had died by termination aft moving disconnected from the facility's grounds successful July 2023.

Dr. Declan Boylan spent much than 4 hours testifying earlier the inquest into Clarkin's decease connected Thursday, detailing what happened during the 10 months helium treated Clarkin successful the psychiatric infirmary aft helium was sent determination by the province's Criminal Code Review Board.

"I was perfectly flabbergasted erstwhile helium died," Boylan told the inquest jurors.

"I recovered Colton specified a bully antheral to enactment with. Though helium had large problems with addictions, helium was trying his best. It was a immense disappointment we did not get to nonstop him to a forensic facility."

The inquest has heard that Clarkin was recovered not criminally liable connected respective weapons charges successful the autumn of 2022 and was involuntarily committed to the Hillsborough Hospital based connected a study by an out-of-province forensic psychiatrist. His past grounds of being charged with equipped robbery and battle was besides taken into account. 

Prince Edward Island does not person immoderate psychiatrists who person specialized successful forensics. Those professionals usually enactment successful forensic psychiatric units of hospitals, treating radical who person committed crimes owed to underlying psychiatric and addiction issues.

P.E.I. is the only state successful Canada without specified a facility. 

The writer of that archetypal study spent a small much than 4 hours with Clarkin and determined that helium could person schizophrenia, but a play of sobriety from drugs would beryllium required successful bid to marque a definite diagnosis. 

No forensic hospital, nary agreements

Boylan told the inquest that wrong a period of Clarkin's accomplishment astatine Hillsborough successful September 2022, it became wide to him that Clarkin apt did not person an underlying psychotic illness, since his symptoms faded erstwhile helium abstained from dense opioid and stimulant use.

What followed was a bid of events that near some Boylan and his diligent feeling frustrated.

Hillsborough Hospital is simply a psychiatric installation that does not itself supply addictions attraction but connects stabilized patients to programs that suit their needs erstwhile they are given support to spell retired into the community.

"Certainly we are not capable to negociate him successful this unit," Boylan wrote successful his lawsuit notes successful October 2022. 

Already the attraction squad was having occupation with Clarkin leaving the installation without support and utilizing drugs, oregon bringing substances similar opioids and psilocybin mushrooms backmost with him erstwhile helium returned from an approved leave. 

Boylan told the assemblage helium believed Clarkin's halfway contented was addiction, and owed to his formation risk, helium would beryllium amended treated astatine a forensic psychiatric infirmary off-Island.

He told the inquest different Island diligent successful a akin concern had been transferred to the Waterford Hospital successful St. John's, N.L., with bully results. But preliminary conversations betwixt the Hillsborough Hospital squad and the Newfoundland installation led them to judge it would beryllium easier to transportation Clarkin to the East Coast Forensic Hospital successful Dartmouth, N.S.

On Wednesday, the inquest heard that the attraction team's bid to person Clarkin transferred determination was unsuccessful — getting a last refusal conscionable 2 weeks earlier his death. 

The inquest heard that due to the fact that P.E.I. has nary installation of its ain and nary binding agreements signed with immoderate off-Island facility, determination is nary mode to compel a forensic infirmary to judge a P.E.I. diligent successful situations similar this. 

Other jurisdictions, similar Nunavut, person signed specified binding agreements with forensic hospitals successful Ontario.

The assemblage heard that P.E.I. has since signed a memorandum of knowing with the East Coast Forensic Hospital, but the statement outlines transportation protocols and outgo structures; it inactive requires a objective pb who is consenting to hold to instrumentality each diligent connected a case-by-case basis.

Mental wellness deteriorated

Boylan's lawsuit notes, shared with the inquest, painted a representation of Clarkin's clip successful the Hillsborough Hospital, which Boylan said did Clarkin a disservice due to the fact that it did not conscionable his precise circumstantial needs. 

He was sometimes co-operative and not causing issues, but different times helium had to beryllium locked down successful the harmless and unafraid portion owed to his disruptive behaviour and formation risk. There Boylan described Clarkin's intelligence wellness arsenic deteriorating. 

Boylan besides said Clarkin would spell periods without addiction treatment. Since the infirmary did not supply that, helium needed to beryllium unchangeable capable to beryllium trusted to question to the programme successful Mount Herbert unsocial by taxi, and past behave appropriately once helium got there. 

He was seeing an addictions counsellor who would travel to the infirmary during immoderate of these periods, but Boylan said helium did not consciousness that was a substitution for immersive treatment.

"There was nary existent attraction going connected to get him assistance with his addictions," Boylan said.

"We weren't getting anywhere."

Ultimately Clarkin's destiny was successful the hands of the provincial Criminal Code Review Board that had committed him to Hillsborough Hospital, since Boylan and others determination did not person the power to discharge him based connected their aesculapian sentiment that helium was not improving successful the facility. So helium stayed — for 10 months. 

"The occupation was however was helium going to determination forward?" Boylan said Thursday. "Because the [Criminal Code Review Board] was not going to fto him determination guardant if helium was utilizing substances successful the hospital."

He 'always wanted to get clean'

Clarkin was committed to different twelvemonth successful the installation successful May of 2023, astir the aforesaid clip Boylan told his diligent they were astatine a standstill: He was occasionally utilizing drugs erstwhile helium near the installation — the installation that was not capable to dainty him, and that he had fled respective times.

Clarkin besides did not privation to spell to a forensic infirmary oregon motion the paperwork to spell to the modulation portion successful Mount Herbert connected a time program, Boylan said.

Despite that, Boylan told the inquest helium and the squad were inactive committed to helping Clarkin and doing the champion they could. They besides allowed him to permission connected passes with his family, which helped supply him immoderate operation and the anticipation helium could re-integrate into the assemblage 1 day.

"Mr. Clarkin ever wanted to get clean; helium was conscionable having large difficulty," Boylan said Thursday.

Clarkin yet got did start going to a time programme astatine the Provincial Addictions Treatment Facility successful Mount Herbert, the inquest had heard connected Wednesday. On the time helium absconded from Hillsborough for the last time, he had been told helium was nary longer invited astatine that programme due to the fact that of his behaviour toward a pistillate taking the aforesaid program.

Red flags noticed by nurse

The inquest besides heard that Boylan had interacted with Clarkin during greeting rounds connected the time of his death, wherever helium noted the 27-year-old seemed engaged and co-operative. That was the past clip helium saw Clarkin.

During grounds connected the archetypal time of the inquest, a caregiver told the assemblage helium had flagged concerns to Boylan after noticing that Clarkin had changed his facial hairsbreadth and removed his belongings from the facility. The caregiver thought helium mightiness beryllium preparing to tally disconnected again.  

But Boylan told the inquest helium had no representation of that conversation, and that helium lone learned astir those reddish flags portion speechmaking societal work case notes successful the days aft Clarkin's death.

"Something would person made maine wonderment wherefore helium had done that and I would person done thing astir it," helium said Thursday.

In the last moments of his questioning of the doctor, a lawyer for the Clarkin household asked Boylan: Would you person changed your caput connected allowing him to person a grounds walk connected that past time had you been alert of each of those issues?

"I don't know," Boyland responded.

Testimony volition resume for a 3rd time connected Friday.

If you oregon idiosyncratic you cognize is struggling, here's wherever to get help:

• Canada's Suicide Crisis Helpline: Call oregon substance 988.
• Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868. Text 686868. Live chat counselling on the website.
• Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention: Find a 24-hour situation centre.
• This usher from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health outlines however to speech astir termination with idiosyncratic you're disquieted about.