REPORT OF AN INDEPENDENT INQUIRY ... - Hundred Families

Chapter 2 – The Onset of Chandran Sukumaran’s Illness
1. Sulekha Jaykumar says her brother became unwell from about the age of 15 years. Biju
Ramkrishnan explained that he began to talk “about God and just unusual things, which I knew
wasn’t the Chandran I knew”. Chandran described himself as “becoming very hyperactive” and
“talking too much”. As far as we could ascertain, his family arranged for him to go to India where
he was admitted to hospital in the late 1980s, because he was unwell. Little is known about this
admission. We have seen no records from the hospital and the family members to whom we
spoke knew few details since they were not directly involved. His sister told us that he came to
her crying and saying he had lost his life and that, because of the way he was talking and acting,
a decision was taken (largely, it seems, by her husband) to have him admitted. It is her
understanding that whilst he was an inpatient Chandran was given electro-convulsive therapy
and medication - but she did not know which. It is possible this was Lithium Carbonate, which
is a name with which his family is familiar. Chandran said this was the medication prescribed.
After a while, he appeared to the family to be better again and he insisted on returning to
England. He says he decided to stop taking his medication. For a short while, it seems that his
relationship with his father improved.
Comment
Chandran’s first presentation with symptoms of severe and enduring mental health
problems was when he was about 15 years old. This is a very young age for the onset of such
problems. His symptoms were sufficiently severe for his family subsequently to have
arranged for his admission to hospital in India where he received ECT. Yet we found no
evidence that the earliness of the onset of the disorder featured conspicuously in the
assessment and management of his illness and his prognosis.
2. The first record of Chandran seeking medical help in this country for mental health problems is
on 17th April 1990 (he was then 20 years old) when, according to his medical records, he went
to his then GP, Dr Alagrajah, saying that “some one did evil for me”. He talked of wanting to
take revenge on the “family at 32 Hall” who had given him some medication to kill him, and said
that he was hearing voices at times. We have been unable to find out whether this was a reference
by Chandran to a real family; it is possible he was intending to refer to the Ramkrishnans. On
23rd April 1990, Dr Alagrajah referred him to the London Independent Hospital for a psychiatric
assessment where he was seen by a Dr Orton on 26th April 1990. Dr Orton wrote to Dr Alagrajah
saying that Chandran:
“has either a manic illness, or an early psychosis. He has grandiose ideas of being able to
control rainfall, and having a mission to save the poor people of Ethiopia, and talks of hearing
“voices” but it is not clear whether these are true hallucinations.
What is clear is that he requires sedation, and assessment over a period of time. He has no
insight, but from his own and his father’s account does not present a threat to himself or
others and so admission under a Section of the Mental Health Act is not appropriate
at present.
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