Chesterfield man, 22, strangled himself after being discharged from mental health unit

A young man strangled himself days after being discharged from Chesterfield's mental health unit, an inquest heard.

Ryan Whitlow was found dead in his flat in the town in August last year.

He was just 22.

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A Chesterfield coroners' court inquest heard Mr Whitlow, who suffered from mental health problems, attended the A&E department at Chesterfield Royal Hospital at the end of June after drinking bleach.

While at the hospital, Mr Whitlow tried to take his own life and was subsequently detained under the Mental Health Act and admitted to the Hartington Unit.

After several periods of temporary leave, Mr Whitlow was discharged from the unit towards the end of July.

Giving evidence today, consultant psychiatrist Dr Salwan Jajawi said: "He progressed well, his improvement was swift.

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"Staff said his mental state was stable and he was engaging well.

"He told me he was looking forward to moving to London to live with his uncle and he said he would engage with the community mental health team after he was discharged."

Mr Whitlow's father Anthony Whitlow told the court: "When he left your unit, he didn't survive long.

"I'm upset at the decisions you made."

The inquest heard Mr Whitlow left his uncle's property in the capital on July 31.

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Police found the young man's body in his flat on Birchwood Court on the evening of August 4.

There was a suicide note on his windowsill.

Pathologist Dr Deirdre McKenna recorded Mr Whitlow's cause of death as strangulation by a ligature.

Dr McKenna said: "In my opinion, there were no suspicious findings during my post-mortem examination."

Coroner Kathryn Hayes adjourned the inquest.

It will resume on Wednesday and is expected to conclude by Friday.

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