Anorexic Died Like a Zombie

From the archive, first published Tuesday 31st Mar 1998.

A MOTHER told an inquest yesterday how one of her anorexic twin daughters followed the other to the grave after she "was treated like a criminal" in a specialist unit.

Samantha Kendall, 30, died of liver failure last October following a paracetamol overdose after becoming like a zombie at Newbridge House, Birmingham, her mother Suzy told the city's coroner's court. Coroner Dr Richard Whittington recorded an open verdict because of uncertainty as to what was in her mind and why she did it. A psychiatrist from the clinic said she had been doing well on its treatment. Mrs Kendall, whose other daughter Michaela died from the disease four years ago, said both girls became anorexic after being taunted by classmates as 14-year-olds. Mrs Kendall said Samantha was vivacious and caring until she was sectioned under the Mental Health Act and detained at Newbridge House last July. "The treatment she received in Newbridge House broke her spirit, broke her down and killed her. Ignorance broke her spirit," she said. She claimed staff at the unit did not know how to treat anorexics and had treated her daughter very badly, like a criminal. The coroner heard that her daughter had taken approximately 60 paracetamol tablets over a period of days before her death. He said the cause of death was severe liver failure caused by paracetamol overdose and underlying anorexia nervosa.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.

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