'Non-psychotic' woman commits suicide at hospital

By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH
A 26-year-old woman jumped to her death from the third floor of the parking facility at Sheba Medical Center where she had been treated in the psychiatric outpatient clinic, the hospital announced on Monday. "She was never considered psychotic," said the hospital spokeswoman. The Health Ministry was informed of the death. She was seen wandering around suspiciously on Monday by a hospital security man. When he asked what she was doing, she said: "I want to kill myself." The security man took her to the emergency room, where she was examined by the psychiatrist on duty. He called a senior psychiatrist for consultation, and both diagnosed her as "not being in a psychotic state." They tried to persuade her to be hospitalized nevertheless, but she refused. She also refused their suggestion to call her family; since she was not a minor, she could not be forced, the hospital said. According to the law, a person who is not diagnosed as psychotic cannot be hospitalized in a mental facility against his or her will.