A psychiatrist who worked with one of the patients seen with Serena Perry the night she died at the Saint John Regional Hospital taking the witness stand on the ninth day of the coroner’s inquest.
Dr. Christoper Bryniak first met the patient that we’re calling “B” about six months before Serena Perry died when “B” was about 16-years-old.
Dr. Bryniak testifying that psychological testing done on him revealed no signficant psychotic symptoms however it did show impairment in his non-verbal abilities like interpreting social cues and body language and that he was prone to dramatics and needed to be the centre of attention.
“B” also admitted that to researching various conditions on the internet and Dr. Bryniak says at that point he questioned how much of “B”‘s symptoms may have been embellished or made-up. Dr. Bryniak says as time went on “B” seemed to become more invested in having a diagnosis of a major mental disorder. Another witness, Dr. Laurie Potter, testifying that “B” told her that it would be bad if he didn’t have schizophrenia.
Procedures have been tightened up in the psychiatric unit since Perry death back in 2012. The area manager for adult mental services in Saint John, Nora Gallagher told the inquest, patients viewed having a locked unit to be demeaning, isolating and paternalistic. On the other hand, there’s research that shows locked units enhance safety.
