A mum who suffered from hallucinations died after setting herself on fire in her back garden, LancsLive reports.
Firoza Patel had been admitted to the Royal Blackburn Hospital two days before her death after her son found her “confused and talking to herself”.
At an inquest at The Landmark in Burnley, Area Coroner Richard Taylor said when the inquest was opened in April he heard brief circumstances of Mrs Patel’s death.
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“She was discharged from hospital two days before her death having been admitted after her son found her confused and talking to herself,” Mr Taylor said.
“In the last conversation he had with her, at 2pm, she was confused and talked about dying.
“Around 15 minutes after, a neighbour in Balaclava Street where she lived contacted police to report a lady was on fire in the rear yard.”
The inquest heard that firefighters who attended the scene concluded that 58-year-old Mrs Patel, from Blackburn, had set fire to herself.
A post mortem examination revealed the cause of death was inhalation of a combustible material.
Mrs Patel’s son, Safwan Patel, who attended the inquest, voiced concerns that a recent change in his mum’s medication could have led to the change in her character prior to her death.
In a statement provided to the coroner, Mr Patel said: “Mum was talking to people who weren’t there, wandering around the house on her zimmer frame and not recognising people who she knew. That’s what led to us ringing an ambulance and her being admitted to hospital.
“Her speech was disorganised, she was stuttering and shouting inadvertently and she was a completely different person which makes me question whether the concoction of medication she was on led to this change.”
The family also questioned why Mrs Patel had been discharged from hospital two days before she died as she seemed “very unstable”.
“We were alarmed she had been discharged,” Mrs Patel’s daughter said during the inquest.
“She seemed very unstable and we questioned why on earth have they sent her home. She was very withdrawn and her anxiety was sky-high, I have never seen her like that.”
Mr Taylor pointed out that when Mrs Patel had been sent home she was “physically well and there was no need for her to remain in hospital” and that a care plan had been put in place.
A statement from Mrs Patel’s GP reported how during one recent consultation she told the doctor “she knew she was dying and she was fed up”.
Recording a conclusion of suicide, the coroner said: “She had done a deliberate act so I have little alternative to a conclusion of suicide.
“Firoza Ayyub Patel died on April 7 at her home from the effects of self-ignition.
“She had recently been discharged from hospital and suffered from physical and mental health conditions including constant pain, hallucinations and psychosis.”
