60-year-old Covid-19 patient hangs herself in Bengaluru hospital toilet

BENGALURU: A 60-year-old woman who had contracted Covid-19 committed suicide at KC General Hospital in Malleswaram on Friday. She is the third Covid-19 patient in the city to commit suicide, and the fourth across the state. She was depressed in hospital, doctors said, and was being counselled.
The woman, who was from Kunigal and residing in Rajagopalnagar, had tested positive on June 18 and got admitted to hospital. Her daughter-inlaw and granddaughter too had tested positive and were with her in the ward. Around 2.30am on Friday, she is said to have gone to the toilet. Soon after, she was found hanging from the window by her sari.
“She was suffering from adjustment disorder and was worried about her entire family being infected. She had hypertension but it was a mild infection and she was to be discharged in a day or two. She had no history of psychological issues,” said a doctor at KC General Hospital.
‘Woman was being counselled in hosp, had told docs she was feeling better’
She showed signs of depression in the hospital. “The woman was given antidepressants and was being counselled. Not only telecounselling, she was personally counselled by a psychiatrist in the hospital. The woman herself had told doctors that she was feeling better. But she may have given in to impulsive thoughts,” said Dr Rajani MH, deputy director of mental health in the health and family welfare department.
Malleswaram police have taken up a case of unnatural death. “We suspect she was anxious on getting infected and this might be the reason behind her taking the extreme step. The autopsy is yet to be conducted,” a Malleswaram police officer said.