Doctors let down our son... then he took his own life at school

‘These tests are unsuitable’

‘Failed to act with urgency’

THE grieving parents of a teenager who killed himself at school are suing a health board as they believe his suicidal behaviour was ignored.

Anton Michael was deemed ‘low risk’ by NHS chiefs before he took his own life in his school’s toilets.

His father, Dr David Michael, is taking legal action after an investigation into his death found that he received ‘suboptimal’ care – despite urgent warnings from his family and school.

Dr Michael, of Bernera on the Isle of Lewis, feared his son, who had repeatedly stated he wanted to take his life, was suffering depression.

However, he was diagnosed with borderline Asperger’s syndrome – a form of autism. Dr Michael fears other youngsters in the Western Isles are being put at risk by a mental health service ‘not fit for purpose’.

Speaking for the first time since his son’s suicide, Dr Michael told the Daily Record: ‘Anton was abnormally tired and suffered violent mood swings. One moment he would be happy and deny anything was wrong, the next he would be despairing and planning to end his life.

‘His tests were unfortunately administered when he was in a good mood. These tests are unsuitable for a child with vicious mood swings. When he’s feeling “high”, then he’ll give a different set of responses to when he’s feeling “low”.

‘You need to pay attention to what he’s saying when he’s low, “I’m suicidal, I’m depressed, I’ve been depressed for a long time, I’m in agony, I can’t endure it for much longer, I’m going to kill myself”. But his tests showed he was fine, so that was the end of the story.’

Dr Michael and Anton’s mother Malgorzata said he spent his spare time practising judo, learning bagpipes and playing computer games. He loved family holidays.

Dr Michael added: ‘He was a very happy child prior to his illness. If we were feeling sad and Anton came into the room, then we’d immediately feel happy again. We had a lot of laughs and fun together.

‘Even in the weeks before he died, when he was going through a good patch, we could have fun. When he was going through a bad patch he just wanted to be alone with his iPad or computer.’

Anton, 15, took his own life in December 2017 at the Nicholson Institute in Stornoway. He left a note on his iPad that told of his worries over the lack of urgency in his treatment and options.

Only four months before he died, he began four months of cognitive behavioural therapy tailored to Asperger’s.

Despite his family asking for a second opinion, that was never received, Anton gradually rejected treatment.

During his downward spiral, his parents said the school raised concerns that he was researching potential ligature points. They contacted the NHS requesting urgent support and warning the situation was dangerous, but they claim no action was taken.

Dr Michael said: ‘The NHS failed to take adequate steps to establish Anton’s main problem was Asperger’s.

‘If he had been assessed as anything other than low-risk, I wouldn’t have allowed him to attend a large secondary school. He would have been kept at home, where it would have been much harder for him to have killed himself.’

Sarah McWhirter, a clinical negligence lawyer from Slater & Gordon, is acting on the family’s behalf in a serious adverse events review. She said: ‘The NHS failed to act with urgency, despite both Anton and his parents repeatedly reporting a possible deadly outcome. His family were aware of his deteriorating state. They asked for help and second opinions but these were not progressed.

‘We can only imagine just how desperate and depressed Anton must have been.

‘These failures need to be addressed as soon as possible by the NHS to ensure this does not happen again.’

Communications and claims manager for NHS Western Isles, Maggie Fraser, said: ‘We are deeply saddened by the tragic death of any young person in our community and offer this family our deepest condolences. As this case is subject to legal proceedings, we are unable to comment.’

For confidential support, call Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local branch. See www. samaritans.org for details.