Tragedy as schoolboy, 17, takes his own life after falsely thinking he had failed his maths GCSE
A TEENAGER took his own life after falsely thinking he’d failed his maths GCSE.
The day after Alex Henshaw, 17, died his parents received an email saying his paper had been remarked and he had actually passed.
Mum Lisa Hamilton, from Winchester, said in a statement: “He had been very distressed, he had just failed a GCSE maths paper.
“The re-mark came back as a pass, I got an email the next day.”
Alex, who had ADHD and autism, was studying a Btec in game design at Basingstoke College of Technology.
He was said to be doing so well on the course his tutor wrongly believed he must have been cheating.
Winchester Coroner’s Court heard Lisa called the fire brigade on September 10 last year, as she couldn’t unlock Alex’s bedroom door, reports The Times.
His body was found inside.
The inquest was also told, on top of the exam Alex was worried about a presentation he had to do in front of his class.
The teenager, however, did not leave any kind of suicide note and coroner Rosamund Rhodes-Kemp said she “could not explain” what she described as an “impulsive act”.
She recorded a conclusion of suicide, adding his family could have done nothing to “prevent or predict” his death.
The coroner continued: “Alex had enormous challenges, he had a number of conditions both physical and of a neurological nature.
“These would have affected not just his physical health but his ability to make friends.
“It is a credit to him that he managed in a society that is not always as sympathetic as it could be.”
Mum-of-three Lisa described her son as “happy” and said he had plans to travel to Japan and was due to undertake work experience at a game design company.
She criticised the “underfunding” of the NHS and referred to the difficulty of getting specialist treatment for her children, who all have autism.
You're Not Alone
EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide
It doesn’t discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society – from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers.
It’s the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes.
And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women.
Yet it’s rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now.
That is why The Sun launched the You’re Not Alone campaign.
The aim is that by sharing practical advice, raising awareness and breaking down the barriers people face when talking about their mental health, we can all do our bit to help save lives.
Let’s all vow to ask for help when we need it, and listen out for others… You’re Not Alone.
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support:
- CALM, www.thecalmzone.net, 0800 585 858
- Heads Together,www.headstogether.org.uk
- HUMEN www.wearehumen.org
- Mind, www.mind.org.uk, 0300 123 3393
- Papyrus, www.papyrus-uk.org, 0800 068 41 41
- Samaritans,www.samaritans.org, 116 123