High-achiever, 25, killed herself after becoming convinced she was a failure
For tragic Lauren Peck being told she was struggling to cope was proof she was a "failure" and led to her suicide.
A “HIGH ACHIEVER” who wanted her life to be perfect became determined to kill herself after she was diagnosed with depression, an inquest heard.
For tragic Lauren Peck being told she was struggling to cope was proof she was a “failure” and led to her suicide.
Her heartbroken dad said: “It’s so sad, because she wanted to be perfect at everything and obviously she felt she’d fallen short. But to us she was perfect.”
The talented artist and pianist descended deeper into despair as her life and teaching career failed to turn out how she had hoped.
The once “bubbly, fun-loving” 25 year-old hid the true extent of her feelings from family, friends and medics while secretly researching methods of suicide on the internet.
Tragically Lauren carried out her death wish on the day teachers and pupils were returning to school after the summer holidays.
Just three weeks earlier she had been discharged from a psychiatric unit after being spotted near a railway line and admitted she was suicidal.
It was the second time she had been seen near train tracks contemplating killing herself – on the first occasion she told officers she was distraught after being “knocked back” for a number of jobs.
As her demons overwhelmed her, the young teacher took her own life in her bedroom at her parent’s home.
Her father engineer Martin Peck, said his daughter loved art and "blossomed" while studying a sixth form. He said she was normally a “lively, party girl” with a good set of friends.
After studying textiles at the University of Leeds she took a teaching qualification and at the end of 2013 moved back to Glossop, Derbys, where she had grown up.
But her artist mum Brenda told the inquest her daughter became concerned when the supply teaching jobs started “drying up”.
The caring young woman also found working with special needs children “stressful”.
She said: “I tried to reassure that in time she would get her chance. I told her she just had to stick with it.”
Chesterfield Coroner’s Court heard friends became increasingly worried by Lauren’s behaviour.
In May 2015 she suffered panic attacks, attempted to take an overdose and started self-harming.
Weeks later she got drunk at a party and felt she had behaved “out of character”. The incident sparked another bout of depression, only this time things took a more serious turn.
At 4am on July 16th police were called to the 1,200ft high Dinting Viaduct, a well-known suicide spot near her home.
She was taken to hospital, assessed and prescribed an anti-depressant, but stopped taking the medication.
Matters came to a head on August 8th when she was spotted near Glossop railway station and police and paramedics were alerted.
Her father took her to Tameside General Hospital in Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, where she admitted herself voluntarily.
But four days later she was discharged from the psychiatric unit after she insisted she would be better off at home. Staff and her parents had noticed an improvement in her condition.
Consultant psychiatrist Elizabeth Elvin, who works for the Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust, said she spoke to Lauren because she had been asking to leave.
She was diagnosed as suffering from “moderate depression”, but posed no threat to herself.
The consultant accepted she had not had a full record of Lauren’s history, but it would not have affected her decision.
Asked if she thought Lauren would have benefitted from staying in hospital Ms Elvin said: “No, I felt she had depression and some other personality issues and she needed to take medication.
“She did not have psychosis; she presented as being moderately depressed and certain issues in her personality made it more difficult to manage that.
“Lauren was a high achiever and a perfectionist. For someone like that it’s difficult coping with depression and accepting that she was not well and needed medication”.
Her GP Dr Guy Wilkinson said he referred Lauren for help, but admitted there was confusion over who was responsible for Lauren’s care after she was discharged from hospital.
The inquest was told Lauren’s body was found in her room by her mother on Sept 1st last year.
Derbyshire Assistant Coroner James Newman said it was clear Lauren was “intelligent and full of life” and wore “her heart on her sleeve”.
He concluded: “Lauren committed suicide whilst the balance of her mind was disturbed.”
After the two day hearing, her mother said: “Lauren had a good life, but once she left university it just seemed to go wrong.
“She wasn’t coping and felt inadequate, when she wasn’t.”
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