Depressed man took his own life after losing IT job amid coronavirus pandemic, inquest hears
Glynn Brown committed suicide after losing his job and suffering from depression during the coronavirus pandemic. His heartbroken wife Helen, discovered the body of her husband inside their garage only a few weeks after he was laid off from his IT job. Brown had suffered from depression and anxiety and told his wife he was heading outside to make a phone call. The tragedy took place at the couple's Wolstanton home, a suburban village on the outskirts of Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, UK.
The 47-year-old then took his own life, an inquest was told. Brown was found hanging by his wife at their Wolstanton home on May 10. An inquest found how Brown was found in the garage. Helen, who had been married to Brown for nearly 16 years, said that Brown had been on medication for his mental health but "everything seemed fine" on the day of his death, in a statement. According to Stoke on Trent Live, she said, "For around 18 months Glynn had suffered from anxiety and depression. He was put on medication and had counseling. He never expressed any intention to harm himself."
"Due to coronavirus, he lost his job, because he was on a probation period. May 10 seemed like a normal day and everything seemed fine. Glynn had been stripping paint off the stairs. He left the house at 2 pm to make a phone call," she shared.
"It seemed like he had been a while so I went outside after an hour to see what he was doing. I couldn’t see him. For some reason, I looked in the garage. The garage door was shut and locked. I got the key and looked inside. I could see him," she added. When paramedics arrived on the scene to the Lansdell Avenue Property, they were not able to revive Brown.
North Staffordshire assistant coroner Sarah Murphy said, "I take into account the evidence from Mr Brown's wife with regard to his increasing amount of anxiety since the loss of his employment. He had a medical history of anxiety." "It was not apparent that this was going through the mind of Mr Brown. He was carrying out ordinary household duties that morning. There was no reason for Mrs Brown to suspect that when he went outside to make a phone call, he would take his own life," Murphy said.
"I'm satisfied to the required standard that he intended that the consequence would be his death. This is an absolute tragedy. He leaves behind a wife and child and I extend the sincere condolences of the court to his family," Murphy continued.
Back in May, Joe Rafferty from the charity, the Zero Suicide Alliance said that the true impact of the coronavirus on mental health will not be known until the pandemic is over, according to a BBC report. He said, "The stress and worry of coronavirus are bound to have an impact on people's mental health. Suicide is a serious public health issue and every single death by suicide devastates families, friends and communities."
According to data from the John Hopkins University, the UK has seen around 314,992 confirmed cases of coronavirus so far. There have been around 43,991 deaths from the virus so far. Globally there have been around 10,668,410 confirmed cases of Covid-19. Call the NHS 111 service if you urgently require medical help or advice. The service is available 24-hours-a-day, 365-days-a-year. Calls are free from landlines and mobile phones.