University lecturer died after overdose of antidepressants

A RESPECTED university lecturer died after taking a prescription drug overdose and then telling his neighbour: “I’ve done something silly.”

Stephen Harding, 64, died on May 26 this year, five days after he was taken to hospital following a cardiac arrest at his home in North Road, Cardiff.

Despite efforts by paramedics to save his life Mr Harding didn’t regain consciousness and died at the University Hospital of Wales, in Cardiff.

An inquest hearing at Pontypridd Coroner’s Court yesterday heard Mr Harding, a former professor at Nihon University in Japan, had taken a number of prescription drug overdoses in the months before his death and had been in contact with mental health services.

A big source of distress to Mr Harding was chronic pain, primarily in his hands, but also in other parts of his body, which meant he had to retire and move back to the UK after spending 30 years living in Japan.

Paramedics were called to his flat at around 5.15pm on May 21 after receiving reports that a man was lying on the floor confused and unable to move.

A neighbour told the emergency services that Mr Harding had told him he had “done something silly” before he had collapsed.

They found Mr Harding lying on his side but he quickly went into a respiratory cardiac arrest.

The inquest heard paramedics administered CPR, and once he was more stable he was transferred to hospital and the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

It was believed that Mr Harding had taken an overdose of antidepressants. He died at 2.18am on May 26.

A post-mortem examination was carried out and Mr Harding’s cause of death was given as multiple organ failure due to an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest due to self-poisoning with antidepressants.

Assistant coroner David Regan reached a narrative conclusion.