sentences:  She had spells in mental hospitals due to her alleged mental instability and suicidal tendencies; these always coincided with times when it was convenient for her to "disappear".Being a former asylum nurse Dyer knew how to behave to ensure a relatively comfortable existence as an asylum inmate.Dyer appears to have begun abusing alcohol and opium-based products early in her killing career; her mental instability could have been related to her substance abuse.