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Dear Dad
I am being kept in Dunedin Hospital's psychiatric unit and I have to get out. This is definitely not the right place for me to be in. My physical condition has deteriorated since I was admitted and I have had several "attacks" or "near death" experiences. If I don't get out soon I could develop a serious health problem or may even die here. Tessa Before I entered hospital I had a few minor heart attacks and since I haven't received any treatment for them I think my heart condition may have worsened. 10th letter... |
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Tessa sent me the above letter on January 5, 1996, 10 days after she was admitted to Dunedin Hospital and shortly before the Family Court placed her under a compulsory treatment order. It was also about the time she absconded, withdrew some money from a money machine, and went to Mosgiel. After checking into a motel — and registering under her real name — she made an appointment with a local GP, with the intention of consulting him on her "heart condition". She then set off for the GP's office on foot, and was picked up by a police patrol. On being told she was being taken back to Dunedin Hospital, she said: "Please don't take me back. They're killing me there!" In reality, she didn't have anything wrong with her heart. Her psychiatrist, Chris Wisely, attributed her seizures to panic attacks.
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