RIYADH, 8 May 2005 — The Southern Province town of Gelwa is reeling with shock and disbelief after a deranged young mother cut her child’s head off to stop his crying, and authorities are cautioning families to keep sharp things away from members who are mentally ill.
According to reports, a 21-year-old mother of three was holding her 10-month-old son when he started crying. She ran to a bedroom and locked herself in screaming, “I will kill this child.” Her husband tried to calm her down through the door while attempting to force entry into the room. Meanwhile, the mother cut the infant’s head off with a sharp instrument.
The decapitated infant was taken to the morgue at Gelwa General Hospital. Under tight security, the mother was held at the hospital overnight awaiting transfer to the Mental Health Institution in Baljarshy. The mother was an epileptic who had regular checkups at Gelwa’s Mental Health Clinic where she was admitted a couple of days before the incident. Arab News tried to contact the mother at the Gelwa General Hospital, but physicians said her condition precluded her from speaking to anyone.
Lt. Col. Abdulrahman Al-Maleh, head of Gelwa police, along with Capt. Abdullah Al-Beqamy, head of investigations, is in charge of the investigation.
Maj. Gen. Saleh Al-Olayan, head of Al-Baha Police Department, emphasized that all tribal leaders and village monitors should draw the attention of their people to the dangers of leaving weapons or sharp instruments near mentally ill patients.
Dr. Abdullah Al-Sehaimy, a resident doctor in the Mental Health Institution in Baljarshy, is one of the doctors treating the mother.
“The patient is now under observation. I can’t give a final definite report about her diagnosis,” he said. “Her primary diagnosis, however, indicates that she might suffer from personality disorder. She lost her sense of awareness and is not clear-headed. She talks about the incident with no emotions. She remembers what happened in detail and does not find it unusual.”
Regarding the incident Dr. Al-Sehaimy said that she is not responsible for her actions; she is not in a clear state of mind.
Dr. Al-Sehaimy said she may pose a threat to her husband and children. “People with personality disorders have a slightly higher rate of involvement in violent crimes, but such acts are almost always committed by those who are not receiving proper treatment; therefore, this patient must stay here in the hospital to be treated with care and medication until she is fully competent,” he said.
Dr. Al-Sehaimy does not blame the family for what had happened. He said it can be hard sometimes for families to detect warning signs from a mentally ill patient. The symptoms of epilepsy in this case confused the family. “They surely thought that the signs they have seen on the patient are symptoms of epilepsy,” he noted.
