Joel Cauchi who expressed feelings of “being under satanic control” After he had stopped his schizophrenia medication, it was “not taken seriously enough” by his treating psychiatrist, a panel of experts told the Bondi Junction Inquest.
The five experienced psychiatrists were called upon by the court to give their opinion about the treatment of the mental health of Cauchi in the years prior to the attack in the Westfield Shopping Center in Sydney’s East on 13 April 2024.
Warning: This story contains content that readers may find disturbing.
Every doctor agreed that Cauchi experienced psychosis when he went on a stabbing rampage, killed six people and injured 10 others before he was shot by the NSW police inspector Amy Scott.
Psychiatrists Olav Nielssen, Edward Heffernan, Anthony Harris, Matthew Large and Merete Nordtoft were each asked to analyze the treatment of Cauchi.
Cauchi killed six people and injured another 10 at Westfield Bondi Junction in 2024. ((ABC News))
This included his first episode of psychosis as a teenager until when he was weaned all forms of antipsychotic medication by his private psychiatrist in 2019, referred to as Dr. A.
The court heard that Cauchi was first admitted to the psychiatric department of Toowoomba Public Hospital at the age of 17 after he evoked doors and expressed concern about “possessed by demons”.
Indicate hospital data that Cauchi had also threatened someone, claims that he had a gun and had moved churches because he believed he was a prophet.
The panel agreed that the earlier cannabis use of Cauchi probably contributed to his early start of schizophrenia and “made sure his symptoms made worse”.
Professor Large said the research that cannabis “is the most powerful and proven cause of schizophrenia”.
The research previously heard toxicology evidence that Cauchi had used cannabis in the days prior to the attack.
The panel also accepted that there were “clear signs” that Cauchi had chronic schizophrenia, including the history of his father of psychotic illness and the continuous presence of symptoms, even though they were medicines for several years.
Experts dispute the change of diagnosis of Cauchi
The research heard that Cauchi was removed from the public system in 2012, while in a high dose of the clozapine of the drug-a antipsychotic medication he only prescribed when two other forms of medication do not control the symptoms of psychosis.
All five psychiatrists agreed that it was “reasonable” for Dr. A To reduce Cauchi’s dose of Clozapine when she first received it as a patient in her private clinic to find an “optimum dose” that would minimize the “unpleasant” side effects associated with the medicine.
But they all disagreed with Dr.’s decision.
“It is not correct to state that there had been 16 years without relapse,” Professor Nordtoft, a leading psychiatrist from Denmark
said.
Dr. A Previously, the study told that she had weaned all antipsychotic medication by 2019 on the basis of guidelines for the treatment of psychosis of the first episodes, not on chronic schizophrenia.
The research heard that the clinic of Dr. A received several reports between September 2019 to February 2020 about the health of Cauchi, which she did not consider psychotic.
An expert said it was not “correct to say” Cauchi had “16 years without relapse”. ((Delivered))
They include Cauchi who told the clinic about an obsession with pornography and his mother expressed concern that her son wrote notes about “under satanic control”.
“When you put them in collective, and I count nine different submissions that were submissions of concern, either insomnia or his mother who suspected symptoms … a change in behavior, satanic control,” said Professor Heffernan.
“For me, these flags probably have a psychotic episode here.“
Professor Nordtoft said that the worries “were not taken seriously enough” and described this period as a “missed opportunity” to restore Cauchi to his antipsychotic medication.
The research heard that Dr. A at this stage Cauchi told his OCD medication to restart, but that he didn’t want that, and she didn’t believe she could force him.
“And I think this is where a more assertive approach in terms of encouraging restart medication must be considered,” Professor Heffernan told the court.
“It is very difficult if you have a voluntary patient … to change the course that has been in the game for a while, and unfortunately it includes some difficult conversations.”
The investigation heard that Cauchi had moved to Brisbane in mid -2020 and from the clinic of Dr. A was fired.
On January 8, 2023, Cauchi called Queensland’s police and said that his military collection, including “US Army Knives”, had been taken out of his room by his father, where a physical fight followed in the family home.
Professor Nordtoft said that if she had been called to this situation as a psychiatrist with knowledge of his background, she would have placed him under involuntary emergency department.
“It was a clear message that he was psychotic and that he could be of potential dangers to others,” she said.
The investigation continues.
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