A coroner has expressed concern about the difficulty of getting face-to-face appointments with GPs and other health professionals after a 17-year-old boy suffering from mental health problems was found dead.
Sean Mark, who described himself as an “anxious paranoid mess”, was desperate for help but felt “shut down” when he called for help, an inquest heard. He was found dead in his bedroom four months after a telephone consultation with a GP and before he had spoken to anyone in person about his concerns.
Coroner Rosamund Rhodes-Kemp recorded a verdict of accidental death, saying she could not be sure Sean had intended to kill himself.
She said: “I don’t know how anyone can assess someone’s mental health over the phone. Diagnosing someone over the phone is a challenge. We’ve gotten a bit confused. We’ve ended up in a situation where we don’t have enough GPs. .. the gaps are growing, and there is a lot of dissatisfaction on the part of patients.
“[Sean] never had an in-person date. Whether, if I had had this face to face, this could have been avoided, I don’t know. But it certainly would have been useful. Sean had bravely contacted the GP surgery about his problems. I was desperate to help. There was no doubt that Sean was frustrated by all of this and was feeling down.”
Mr Rhodes-Kemp added: “I am aware of the problems that GPs are facing. I am sure that this has all been exacerbated by the lockdown restrictions.”
Portsmouth Coroner’s Court heard Sean, the son of two naval officers from Gosport, Hampshire, was a “kind and caring” A-level student who struggled with anxiety and believed he might have ADHD. The hearing was told Sean first contacted the Willow Group of GP practices in Gosport in August last year and had a telephone consultation with a doctor who advised him to seek advice online.
Over the next few months he carried out a number of NHS digital consultations and was noted to have moderate depression and would benefit from talk therapy. However, italk, Hampshire’s NHS talking therapy service, had a waiting list of six to eight months, the investigation found.
In an online inquiry last October, Sean admitted that in their original phone conversation he had stressed how bad his mood was. He said he wanted to be tested for conditions he thought he might have, such as ADHD, so he could stop being a “paranoid anxious mess.”
On December 4, still without seeing a health professional and the day after completing another NHS online form, Sean was found dead by his parents.
Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you through the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning
Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertisements, and content sponsored by third parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Dr Robin Harlow, clinical director of the Willow Group, said it had increased the number of face-to-face meetings. When told Sean was down, he said: “I wish they’d see him face to face the second time, if not the first. We’ve seen a lot more face-to-face dates since then.”
Speaking after the inquest, Sean’s mother Suzanne Mark said: “Everyone agrees that more could have been done, but it’s not bringing my son back.”
He said the family believed the surgery was listening to them and trying to make changes.