A Bradford woman had to wrestle a knife from her daughter after being stabbed in a life-or-death struggle only a day after health experts discharged mentally-ill Donna Burnell from hospital.

Mother Maria Houston sobbed as she told how her daughter first attacked her with a five-inch blade before plunging a carving knife into her own throat during the incident at their Heaton home on Friday.

And it was only the previous day that paranoid schizophrenic Donna was allowed to go home after psychiatrists said she was safe to leave Bradford Royal Infirmary – despite having taken an overdose the day before.

“There could have been two dead bodies in my house on Friday night, she just went berserk,” said Mrs Houston, who has cared for Donna, 25, since her mental problems began three years ago.

“She was a smashing little girl who was a May Queen and won dancing competitions, then she had two children by a man who took her to Scotland and beat her up.

“He died last year and her children are with foster parents and that’s when her mental problems started.”

Donna was admitted to Lynfield Mount Psychiatric Hospital last year due to bouts of paranoia.

She broke out four times by shinning up drainpipes and climbing walls to return to her mother’s home 30 seconds away in Bronte Close.

But since leaving Lynfield Mount in 2011 she had been stable under Mrs Houston’s care – until Wednesday.

“Donna was being paranoid and saying people were out to kill her, then secretly she swallowed handfuls of my heart pills and painkillers,” said Mrs Houston, 49, who has cardiac problems.

She was rushed into BRI where she vomited up the cocktail of drugs. Her mother believes staff then released her from hospital care too soon.

Mrs Houston said on Friday she had to go out and two home treatment staff from Lynfield Mount came over to visit. When she returned, she said that at first Donna seemed OK, just lying on the couch.

“Then suddenly she started talking all strangely and said she was off to bed,” Mrs Houston said.

“I was really worried so I called Lynfield Mount and asked the home treatment team to come over again. I was told it would be five minutes, but they never came.”

Later, sensing something was wrong, she opened Donna’s door just in time to see her leap from the window, down on to bins and railings in the yard below.

“I flew downstairs and out to where she lay, there was blood in her hair and a gash on her face,” she said.

“She’s only small, a size eight, and I helped her up and got her into the kitchen to clean her – but then she just went crazy.

“Donna grabbed a five inch vegetable knife and I got stabbed in the hand as I snatched it off her and threw it into the living room.

“But she picked up a big carving knife and began stabbing herself in the throat when thankfully a paramedic, who a friend had called about the fall, arrived at the door.”

Police arrived and injured Donna was taken back for surgery at BRI, where doctors said she was lucky to have survived.

Mrs Houston said she wants answers from health care bosses about the decision to discharge Donna.

A Bradford District Care Trust spokesman said a formal review of what had gone on had been started and, it was unable to comment at this stage.