Mother found hanged after second bout of post-natal depression
A younG mother who was found hanged at home five months after giving birth to her second child had been gripped by post-natal depression since starting a family, an inquest heard.
Aimmie-Marie Hargreaves, 22, was referred for therapy five days before she died and had stopped taking the anti- depressants intended to keep the condition under control.
Described as an ‘amazing mum’, she improved as her three-year- old son grew up but her depression worsened again when her second baby boy was born last December.
Following her death her mother, Dawn, said she had excelled academically and went to university to study midwifery.
She added: ‘She was amazing all the way through school and had lots of friends ... She was very bright and passed everything with ease.’ She described her daughter as ‘truly a gift that we could not keep’.
The day before she died in May this year Miss Hargreaves had been to a park in Halifax, West yorkshire, with her partner Imran Siddique and their two boys Freddie and Theo, the inquest was told.
Mr Siddique said she ‘appeared to be her normal self and was having a good day,’ although there had been days previously when she was ‘down’.
After visiting the park he left Miss Hargreaves with the children so he could go to see a friend and several hours later found her in an unresponsive state at home in Halifax.
Mr Siddique called 999 and started CPR, but it was in vain. In a statement to Bradford Coroner’s Court, he said: ‘Aimmie has been suffering from depression for several years which started after our first child was born nearly four years ago. ‘Her depression then improved and her medication from the doctor was reduced. We then had a baby in December 2017 and her depression seemed to worsen again. She went back to see her GP and they prescribed Fluoxetine.’ Mr Siddique said Aimmie’s mood had been the ‘worst it has been’ and she had been crying a lot. During conversations with a GP she denied having suicidal thoughts and said her children were a ‘strong protective factor,’ the inquest heard. Following her death, blood tests revealed that the mother of two hadn’t been taking her anti-depressants.
She had also consumed the equivalent of three pints of beer.
A post-mortem examination found that the cause of death was hanging.
Coroner Martin Fleming said Miss Hargreaves had been medically assessed on May 15 and was referred for cognitive behavioural therapy, which is used to treat anxiety and depression. She died on 20 May. ‘It was clear she was struggling with worry about her worth as mother, which was completely unfounded,’ he said.
‘She denied having thoughts of suicide and said she could keep herself safe.’
Recording a narrative verdict, Mr Fleming said: ‘This is a very sad and tragic death. We have heard from her mother that she was a much-loved daughter and partner who doted on her two children. This has devastated the family, particularly as it has left two little babies without a mother.’
Mr Fleming said that a text sent by Miss Hargreaves to her partner had mentioned that she had left the house door open for him, which may have meant she wanted to be found or that her actions were a ‘cry for help’.
‘Because of this uncertainty I cannot arrive at a conclusion of suicide,’ he said. ‘Aimmie had a history of suffering from postnatal depression and was found at her home. Her intentions remain unclear. There is insufficient evidence to be sure that she intended to take her own life. It is a very sad case indeed.’
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article, help is available from the Samaritans on freephone 116123, by email at jo@samaritans.org, or via Freecall Pieta House on 1800 247 247.
‘She was an amazing mum’