Residents mad over 'mad house'

WHILE the seven victims of a mass-stabbing on Saturday at a mental institution in Santa Cruz were expected to be discharged from hospital yesterday, residents expressed concern and anger on realising what they thought was a home for the elderly, in their community, turned out to be a home for mentally unstable people.

Residents said they are now fearful that other people being kept at this place could "trip off" and go on a mad, violent rampage as what occurred on Saturday when a patient stabbed six fellow patients and a nurse. The residents yesterday pointed out that the home is situated near a basket ball court and recreation ground, where children usually play after school, on the weekend and during the school vacation.

But contacted for comment, a member of the home's management said residents already knew the building was an institution for keeping and treating with the mentally ill.

"These people have a serious need to be helped and managed. Most of them are homeless. What am I supposed to do, put them out on the street," the manager asked. "They (the residents) don't know the full history. The only way anyone could understand what is happening is if they had a family member who suffered a nervous breakdown or has a mental illness. The patients have no one to take care of them."

The manager added that no one outside of the home was harmed. She also said that the home has been in operation for two years, and even has signage that specifies it as a place as a mental institution. But the sign has not yet been put up.

About four days ago, a woman was brought to the home after she constantly insisted she had been kidnapped. On Saturday at about 1 pm, residents heard screams coming from the house and when they checked, they saw the woman stabbing several patients.

The woman was first seen attacking fellow patients with a Chinese chopper which was taken from her. After that she pulled out a knife and continued her rampage. One of the neighbours subdued the woman and bound her hands with a pillow case, to wait until police arrived.

Up to press time, three of the victims had been discharged from hospital and sent back to the mental home while the rest were expected to be discharged sometime yesterday in the evening. The woman who attacked the seven has since been moved to another mental institution.