After attempting to take her life Beth Matthews started a hugely popular blog, widely credited with helping people struggling with depressive illnesses - then her mental health began to spiral out of control. Chris Slater reports.
Those were the words blogger Beth Matthews uttered to a staff member on a secure mental health ward in Stockport just moments after swallowing the poisonous substance that killed her.
Following her death, Beth's sister Lucy said she has been told her sister's writing saved people's lives. Beth had ordered the substance, which the Manchester Evening News is not naming, on the internet from a supplier in Russia and had it delivered to The Priory’s Cheadle Royal Hospital where she was a patient and was being detained under the Mental Health Act.
In a moving pen portrait read at the inquest, her mum Jane Matthews described her daughter, who she said was 'proud to call herself a Cornish girl', as 'caring, 'intelligent' and articulate' with a 'quick sense of humour.’ Beth first sought help with her own mental health in 2011 when she was just 16. At the time she was thought to have a depressive disorder and was referred to her local child and adolescent mental health service. However, the inquest heard her parents were not aware of this and when her school informed them she immediately stopped attending appointments.
The following day, Monday, April 8, she went back to the very same bridge, and jumped. Beth later described how following her 50ft fall, a police officer ran to her and held her hand before paramedics arrived and she was airlifted to hospital. She suffered a catalogue of serious injuries including a collapsed lung, a lacerated spleen, lacerated liver and lacerated stomach, broken legs, broken ankles, a broken femur, an unstable spine fracture and pelvis fractures causing permanent nerve damage.
In it, she said: “I have always hidden my mental health struggles, even to the point where I tried to take my life to stop people knowing. But last September I shared my story on Facebook about what all I had been through since the day I jumped, 5 months prior. “If you or anyone you know is struggling or if you are worried about them please, please take some time just to talk. Find someone you trust. Friends, family, teachers, doctors, police, whoever it may be. Silence can kill. You never know who might be suffering or if it might happen to you.
She published links to her blog and also posted updates on social media, in particular Twitter, describing herself in her biography on the site as a ‘major trauma patient, mental health patient, spinal cord Injury, ICU Survivor, suicide survivor.’ By the time of her death she had amassed 26,300 followers.
Her ex-partner Mr Parkinson said this coincided with the two year anniversary of her fall from the bridge. He said she believed she 'wasn't going to make any more recovery’ from her injuries and ‘sort of gave up all hope really.’ The inquest heard that the upcoming three-year anniversary of her previous suicide attempt, the possibility of funding for her stay at The Priory being withdrawn and her having to return to hospital in Cornwall, and a looming tribunal to challenge her section, were all likely factors to have had a 'negative' impact on her mental health in the lead-up to her death.
However, David Watts, director of risk and safety for The Priory, said it was ‘impossible’ to monitor patient’s web browsing on mobile phones, and that mental health units are left ‘playing catch-up’ in efforts to protect patients from certain online content. Police enquiries found it had come from the Russian Federation, leaving by air mail on March 10, before being received at Heathrow Airport on March 19 and moved to the Cheadle delivery office. “Beth accessed the tracking record on March 19” Ms Smith said.
Help and support Samaritans samaritans.org operates a 24-hour service available every day of the year. If you prefer to write down how you’re feeling, or if you’re worried about being overheard on the phone, you can email Samaritans at [email protected] , write to Freepost RSRB-KKBY-CYJK, PO Box 9090, STIRLING, FK8 2SA and visit www.samaritans.org/branches to find your nearest branch.
Childline runs a helpline for children and young people in the UK. Calls are free and the number won’t show up on your phone bill.Beat Eating Disorders: Beat provides helplines for adults and young people offering support and information about eating disorders. These helplines are free to call from all phones. Adult Helpline: 0808 801 0677, Studentline: 0808 801 0811, Youthline: 0808 801 0711. www.beateatingdisorders.org.
At the time of her death, it was documented in Beth’s care plan, and also in ward handover notes that she shouldn’t be allowed to open her own parcels the inquest was told. Her Twitter biography contained a link to ‘wish list’ of items on Amazon and the inquest heard she often received packages from her followers.
Despite the decision having been made to not allow her to open her post, an investigation by The Priory found there had been an ‘inconsistent approach’ to the delivery of Beth’s care plan, with some staff members allowing her to open her own post, but some opening it for her. However, Ms Woodruff and Ms Tiplady said they could not see the label, which is said to have contained the name of the substance, as it was facing into her hand. They said they asked what was in it and she said ‘protein powder’ as she ‘wanted to try it.’
Ms Tiplady said Beth then 'rushed out of the room' and that she tried to grab her but at this point, there were no other staff around to restrain her so she let go and followed her. She said when she got to Beth's room she was 'using water from the tap to swallow what was in her mouth.' As soon as the nature of it became clear an ambulance was called. However, she quickly became seriously unwell and said she was struggling to breathe. She suffered a cardiac arrest and after the arrival of paramedics, she was taken to Wythenshawe Hospital but resuscitation attempts, which included the administering of another substance to try and counteract what she had taken, were not successful and her death was declared at 3:55pm.
Whilst the charity Mental Health UK said Beth's ‘work and advocacy in mental health has touched and helped many people, and her commitment will be forever remembered.’ The Cornwall NHS Partnership Foundation Trust who oversaw her care in her home county and who were an interested person at the inquest alongside The Priory and Beth's family said: "
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