A teenager who did not receive counselling he had been referred for took his own life.
Strangely, newspapers seem to be reporting the method a lot more than they used to...
Lauruell Clarke (Ed: !) was found dead at his home in Clayton Way, Hove, on October 11 last year.
His father Raymond Clarke returned home just after 7am and discovered the 14-year-old hanging from a loft hatch.
So, why didn't he receive the counselling?
An inquest into his death at Brighton Coroner’s Court yesterday heard Lauruell had been referred to the East Sussex Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) after he took an overdose of paracetamol in March last year.
Lauruell was seen on April 29 by the CAMHS duty team and was assessed as being low risk, with no diagnosis of a mental health condition.
It was agreed he should have counselling through his school’s health and wellbeing service, but the referral was never made.
Peter Joyce, general manager at East Sussex CAMHS, said: “It was identified in our investigation that the worker did not process that information and send it across.
“The risk assessment was started but not signed off.”
Whether it would have made a difference is rather a moot point, I suppose.
The coroner recorded a conclusion of suicide and said: “I believe this was a spontaneous decision.
“Lauruell was a high achiever and he was loved and admired. There are so many pressures on young people these days, I’m never quite sure how they cope.”
Maybe not having a name that looks like mum & dad passed the bag of Scrabble tiles between them might help?
I have experience of the NHS mental health provision via several friends who have suffered from various mental health problems. Its basically stuffed full of people who get paid, but actually do very little. There are constant 'assessments' and 'referrals' but no actual help (in the form of some therapy) ever materialises. All they want to do is throw pills at people.
ReplyDelete"I’m never quite sure how they cope.”"
ReplyDeleteSurely it's a lot easier these days than it ever has been? You don't even have to learn how too spel and write proper and stuff
Maybe not having a name that looks like mum & dad passed the bag of Scrabble tiles between them might help?
ReplyDeleteOpened link to article.
Saw picture of dearly departed.
Put surprise back in storage to gather even more dust.
Growing up was never easy but these days it seems that everyone wants support. Could it be the unreasonable expectation of never ending support undermines people's ability to cope with life.
ReplyDelete"Its basically stuffed full of people who get paid, but actually do very little."
ReplyDeleteLike every other public sector outfit, then?
"Surely it's a lot easier these days than it ever has been? You don't even have to learn how too spel and write proper and stuff"
Sadly true!
"Growing up was never easy but these days it seems that everyone wants support. Could it be the unreasonable expectation of never ending support undermines people's ability to cope with life."
And, I suspect, it's a deliberate policy.