Exclusive:Portsmouth uni student told doctors his mental health was 'better' in the days before he died
Joshua Warner died after buying poison online, an inquest has heard.
A university student who died after buying poison online told medical experts his mental health was improving, a coroner has been told.
Joshua Warner died on January 31, 2023, at Rosalind Franklin Halls in Guildhall Walk, Portsmouth. The 21-year-old, who had been studying psychology, purchased poison online from Kenneth Law, 57, from Mississauga, Canada, who has since pleaded guilty to aiding suicide in his homeland.
An inquest into Joshua’s death is underway at Winchester Coroner’s Court, where coroner Nicholas Walker was told by multiple mental health practitioners that Joshua told them his condition was improving.
Joshua was being seen by GPs in Portsmouth, as well as taking private therapy sessions. After a suicidal incident towards the end of 2022, he was also placed into the care of a crisis team.
Amanda Woolridge, a mental health practitioner at Uni-City Medical Centre, spoke with Joshua over the phone on multiple occasions, but never actually met him in-person.
She said: “[In the days before his death] he said suicidal thoughts were less prevalent. He sounded brighter and better, and said that the medication seemed to be working.”
Coroner Nicholas Walker said: “We know he had made up his mind. Can suddenly appearing better also be a sign that there is intent for a patient to end their life?”
Ms Woolridge said: “It’s a lot rarer to see that in primary care, but yes. We would see this apparent chnge in mental state - in my experience, it’s more apparent in seconday care.
“We tend to see lower levels of risk than those in secondary mental health care. This is the first instance in primary care - that I have experienced - like this. Usually, when a patient tells me their mental state has improved and they are feeling better, that’s factual.
“Knowing what we know now, I would have called him in. This young person said he was okay, but with hindsight perhaps we would have him in, with the additional information that we have.”
The court heard how Joshua’s family had contacted his GP surgery with information - but health professionals did not feel the urgent need to break patient confidentiality. This was echoed by other mental health service leaders.
Ms Woolridge added: “Would I breach confidentiality? If there was an immediate risk to life, then yes. I was not concerned about a suicide risk at the time.”
Joshua’s private therapist, Dr Kevin Scott, had several video sessions with him between November 2022 and January 2023. He said: “Joshua presented with low mood, anxiety, sleep difficulties and relationship difficulties. He said he had quite a negative self view, and that people didn’t know the ‘real him’.
“In later sessions, he told me he had started new medication, and that the intrusive thoughts had stopped. His mood did seem to be improved, he was talking in more positive terms.
“At the time, I took this to be genuine. The general rule of thumb is that in secure situations, you tend to take things at face value; they are paying for your services and that relationship is built on trust.”
Dr Lorraine Bell, a retired consultant psychologist and suicide prevention lead at Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We didn’t know about the extent to which Josh had persued access to means to take his own life. We also didn’t know if his levels of plans were fluctuating.
“He had the means to end his life, but didn’t immediately act upon it. There were a number of indications that Josh’s mood had improved. It wasn’t obvious to me that he was concealing persistent intent to take his life.
“Had we known he had fatal means in his flat, we would have been alert to a higher risk. Sadly, we didn’t have a fuller picture.”
If you've been affected and bereaved by suicide, Cruse is a dedicated service providing free and confidential support across Portsmouth, Southampton, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Call 0330 555 0129, or visit supportaftersuicideship.org.uk
If you need urgent help with your mental health, there is free support available 24/7 from:
Samaritans - call 116 123
Shout - text HANTS to 85258
NHS - call 111 and select the mental health option, or in an emergency, call 999