Man discussed financial problems before suicide, inquest told

A man took his own life the day before his mortgage payment was due, an inquest heard on Tuesday.

The father-of-one, who had been suffering from depression, discussed financial difficulties with his mother and a nurse before taking his own life last year.

The 35-year-old had an amicable relationship with his ex-partner in relation to their child, the court heard. She found him dead at a house they bought together in 2007 which she had moved out of. She said he did not have money problems but had been recently been put on “short time” at work.

The man was taking prescribed anti-depression and anti-psychotic medication and this was administered by injection the day before his death.

The man had a history of depression and had attempted suicide in April 2015, the court heard.

On the day he died, the man contacted his ex-partner and told her he would not be around to look after their child. She was concerned and phoned his mother and the nurse in charge of his care at his local mental health clinic. When contacted by the nurse, the man said he had just attempted to take his own life but failed. The nurse asked him to come to the clinic and he arrived by bicycle 20 minutes later.

Care plan

“He did express stress around his financial situation but didn’t express any suicidal ideation at that time,” the nurse said. They discussed the matter and he told her his mortgage payment was due the following day, the nurse told the court. “He’d gone to the ATM that morning, the money had been withdrawn for the mortgage repayment and he was annoyed by this.”

The nurse said she discussed options with him, including the Money Advice and Budgeting Service (Mabs) and St Vincent de Paul. “He felt frustrated about the fact his bank account had been emptied. He felt fed up with his financial situation,” the nurse said.

A care plan was put in place involving the man’s mother. He was due to stay overnight with his mother and see a doctor the following morning. The man’s mother said he told her he was feeling depressed. “He told me he didn’t feel good. I knew he didn’t have much money and was struggling with mortgage payments as work was not plentiful,” she said.

The man came to his mother’s house but left after a while telling her he would return later that evening. He was later found dead at his home.

The coroner returned a verdict of death by suicide.

The Samaritans can be contacted on 116123 or jo@samaritans.org