Sean Mark, who described himself as an “anxious paranoid mess”, was desperate for help but felt “beaten” when he asked for help, an inquest heard. He was found dead in his bedroom four months after consulting a doctor over the phone and before speaking to anyone in person about his concerns. District Coroner Rosamund Rhodes-Kemp recorded a verdict of accidental death, saying she could not be sure Sean had intended to kill himself. He said: “I don’t know how anyone can assess someone’s mental health over the phone. Diagnosing someone over the phone is challenging. We’ve messed up a bit. We’ve ended up in a situation where we don’t have enough doctors … the gaps are growing – and there’s a lot of patient dissatisfaction. “[Sean] never had a face-to-face date. Whether – if he had this face to face – this could have been avoided, I don’t know. But it sure would be useful. Sean had contacted the GP surgery about his problems. He was desperate for help. There was no doubt that Sean was frustrated by all of this and felt he had been spoiled.” Rhodes-Kemp added: “I know the problems GPs face. I’m sure all of this was exacerbated by the lockdown restrictions.” Portsmouth Coroner’s Court heard Sean, the son of two naval officers from Gosport, Hampshire, was a “kind and caring” A-level student who struggled with anxiety and believed he might have ADHD. The hearing was told that Sean first contacted the Willow Group of GP practices in Gosport last August and had a telephone consultation with a doctor who advised him to seek advice online. In the following months he had a series of digital consultations with the NHS and was noted to be moderately depressed and would benefit from talking therapy. However, italk, Hampshire’s NHS speech service, had a waiting list of six to eight months, the survey found. In an online consultation last October, Sean admitted that in his initial phone conversation he had underestimated how bad his mental state was. He said he wanted to be tested for conditions he thought he might have, such as ADHD, so he could stop being an “anxious paranoid mess.” On December 4, without having seen a health professional and the day after completing another online NHS form, Sean was found dead by his parents. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Dr Robin Harlow, clinical director of the Willow Group, said it had increased the number of face-to-face meetings. When told Sean felt spoiled, he said: “I’d like to see him face to face the second time, if not the first time. We’ve seen a lot more face-to-face dating since then.” Speaking after the inquest, Sean’s mother Susan Mark said: “It is agreed by everyone that more could have been done, but it doesn’t bring my son back.” He said the family believed the surgery was listening to them and trying to make changes.
