A 'wonderful' young medical student who had a 'bright future' ahead of her tragically took her own life ahead of the anniversary of her father's heart breaking suicide. Ava-Jane Der Merwe was pronounced dead at Southport and Ormskirk General Hospital on August 13, 2022, after she sent a final Snapchat message to her friend.
The 21-year-old, who first saw her GP in 2014 when she was just 13 over concerns for her mental health, sadly suffered from a lot of personal grief in the years to come, the ECHO reports. Her father, Peter took his own life at the age of 38 passed away the following year and in 2016, Ava-Jane's little sister Esme died from a rare brain disorder called Rett Syndrome.
Ava Jane's mum, midwife Mary, has been left heartbroken by another tragic loss after previously revealing her financial difficulties while she was off work grieving for her younger daughter and husband. Mary revealed Ava-Jane had been struggling with depression since she was 18 and had been referred to mental health services over the years but would fail to attend follow-up appointments.
The student who studied biochemistry at the University of Liverpool visited A&E at Southport and Ormskirk District General Hospital in June 2021 after telling a friend she felt suicidal. On the day of her death in August 2022, Ava-Jane's friend dialled 999 after she sent him a message on Snapchat.
Jay asked Ava-Jane where she was and he raced to her side after she told him she was by the locks at the canal-side Ship Inn. Jay later told the police: "I arrived first [before the police]. She opened her eyes and was grumbling. I pulled her away from the canal.
"Her mobile phone rang and I answered it and a woman said she was Jo, Ava's friend Hannah's mum. Fifteen minutes later the police arrived."
An inquest at Preston Coroner's Court on January 9 heard Ava Jane was initially semi-conscious when she was found but her condition rapidly deteriorated while Jay and the police waited on an ambulance. Officers performed CPR but Ava-Jane was later pronounced dead at around 4:46am on August 13 2022 at Southport and Ormskirk General Hospital.
Ava-Jane's mum asked that her daughter's hearing went ahead without her attending and said in a statement that Ava-Jane had suffered with depression since she was 18. Referring to the night before Ava-Jane died, Mrs Van Der Merwe said: "I was working that day, I arrived home at 7pm and went to see Ava-Jane in her bedroom and asked if she wanted a takeaway. I went to bed and had no idea she had gone out."
The inquest also heard several statements from mental health practitioners who had spoken with the 21-year-old over the year as they revealed she told them she had suicidal thoughts but had not acted on them. Ava-Jane's GP, Dr Rachel Tilley who practices at Stanley Court Surgery in Burscough said the night before she died she had attended a doctor's appointment at 7pm.
An urgent referral was made to the mental health team and Ava-Jane should have been contacted by staff from Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS between one to five hours later but she was not contacted until the following day when it was too late.
An investigation into the situation by the NHS trust found that the staff member who was working when the GPs referral was made 'was working within the old time frames' and therefore hadn't realised. The 21-year-old should have been immediately contacted but issues with staffing had affected the trust at the time but these are said to have been resolved and other changes have been established since Ava-Jane's tragic death.
Assistant Coroner Kate Bisset who was provided with an image of Ava-Jane from her family described her as a 'wonderful and happy young woman' who enjoyed working as a medical secretary at a GP practice and had a bright future ahead of her.
Ruling the death to be suicide, Ms Bisset concluded: "I am so very sorry to Ava-Jane's family for their loss. Her life had so much promise and potential not withstanding the tragedies she had experienced."
Mental Health and Suicide Support
Helplines and support groups
The NHS Choices website lists the following helplines and support networks for people to talk to:
- Samaritans (116 123) 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 jo@samaritans.org.
- Childline (0800 1111) 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.
- PAPYRUS (0800 068 41 41) is an organisation supporting teenagers and young adults who are feeling suicidal.
- Mind Cymru (02920 395 123) is a charity providing advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem. They campaign to improve services, raise awareness and promote understanding.
- Students Against Depression is a website for students who are depressed, have a low mood or are having suicidal thoughts.
- Bullying UK is a website for both children and adults affected by bullying.
- CALL Mental Health Helpline for Wales (0800 132 737) provides a Wales-wide 24/7 mental health multi-channel contact service. CALL offers emotional support, signposting to agencies relevant to the caller’s needs as well as free literature.
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