M ental I llness C oncerns A ll	A highly unusual case Ge was married three years to a second wife two years after his first had died of natural causes. There were difficulties within the second marriage, which brought in a son and a daughter, and with the wife a more free spending habit , which ran against GE's more prudent habits. She signed one of his cheques to clear herself of debt. GE has worked for the same firm for over twenty years latterly as a warehouse manager. He had become unhappy in that work during the last three years -technology changes, apparently. At the same time his health concenred him - one gastric attack breifly being ascribed to angina. He also may have had early prostatic problems, and early eyesight worries. He seems to have been looking for early retirement. There is no suggestion that this lay behind his approach to the family doctor with depression. He received a tricyclic anti-depressant medication for that - possibly because he had previously come under suspicion of angina, possibly because he said he was sleeping badly, maybe because the practitioner favoured it, the less potent member of the class - dothiepin.During three months, getting the dosage right was a problem, he was overcome at a higher dosage and a lower dosage seemd ineffective. He was referred to a psychiatrist, who recorded the symprtoms of depression , but commented that there had been no usual appetite and weight loss, instead a weight gain. Dothiepin wasacompanied by improvement, and usually it was that preparation that was used and adjusted later. on one occasion its withdrawal, seemed to be succeeded by relapse, A third psychiatrist in due course decided that dothiepin was not working and cghange to an SSRI drug, gradually increasing the dosage ip to 50mgm dail, a maximum dosage range. It seemed to be succesful and was continued. Difficulties in the marriage continued and thoughts of searation continued and went partially ahead, GE said he had been reprtoed about videoing the beach when he qwas on holiday with his sister. About two years after strating his psyvhiatric contacts, whiulst the son of his wife was out , he strangled his wife dimemebered her, burnt the remains in an oilcan, and began a comprehensive cover-up complicated story of his wife's disappearance including writing letters in her name , putting her clothes on a beach, and withdrawing money from her bank account. He was finally arrested and charged trying to leave the country. He had been under police surveillance. Comment Taylor; GE. Home Page         E-mail reaction is welcome mica@didgy.freeserve.co.uk