Posted on 01/18/2022 10:47:51 PM PST by nickcarraway
Darcy Grace Hollinson was tragically just 17-years-old when she took her life
The parents of a loving 17-year-old teenager who tragically ended her life have warned that the 'true pandemic' isn't Covid-19, but mental health.
Darcy Grace Hollinson was due to soon finish her A-levels at Plymouth High School for Girls when she was found unresponsive at her home in Tavistock on April 14, 2021, at around 9.15pm.
An inquest at Exeter’s County Hall today, January 18, heard that despite resuscitation attempts she was unable to be revived following a suicide attempt.
Darcy had been struggling with her mental health for a few years, and at different periods had been under the care of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).
The inquest heard that since the coronavirus pandemic, there has been an increase in the number of young people referred to its service, and the duration of treatment has lengthened as their needs have been 'quite difficult to manage'.
The increase was said to be nationwide and it is impacting on waiting lists.
Speaking after the inquest, Darcy's heartbroken parents Michael and Deborah said: "Mental health is the true pandemic; Covid is just a scratch. There is just not enough support for young people.
"Since Darcy's death, we have had so many messages from young people saying they have struggled to get help.
"Mental health is said to be a silent killer but it's not. It's the ones who are left behind who are screaming about it every day. Something has got to change.
"I don't understand what we're doing to our young people. The answer is more funding and more help 24 hours a day, and to turn the internet and social media off. It's anti-social media that has been put in place by people who have not thought about the loss of social interaction and the consequences on young peoples lives.
"Unfortunately, Darcy is just now another statistic for mental health."
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During the inquest, Mrs Hollinson told in a statement how Darcy first began to experience problems with her mental health in Year 10, but wasn't sure why or what the triggers were.
She experienced several low periods over the next few years, but remained driven to want to go to university.
Mrs Hollinson said: "She was always a strong character with energy and ambition and had her life planned, but something seemed to stop her in the past two years."
She recalled how her school had been very supportive and had allowed her to drop one A-level and that she also had the support of her family, friends, boyfriend and mental health services.
However, she added she believed lockdown had affected her quite badly because she had been unable to socialise as regularly with friends and that shortly before her death her mood pattern had changed to a mixture of happy highs to more extreme deeper lows.
During the Easter holidays she admitted thoughts to her parents of wanting to die and further mental help was requested.
On the day of her death, Mrs Hollison said she took Darcy to see a psychiatrist and that they had enjoyed a few hours together watching television together after they returned, and that she had given no indication she was intending to end her life that night.
During that evening Darcy had been in contact with a friend and also her supportive boyfriend who told in a statement how he was shocked by her death as they had lots of things planned for the future.
He said: "She never spoke about actually committing suicide or how she would do it."
He added: "I think it was just a moment where she could not deal with the suffering anymore."
Darcy’s medical records confirmed concerns with her mental health were first reported in January 2018, when she was said to be experiencing academic pressure.
She was referred to CAMHS and was then discharged in May 2018, when the plan was to continue with counselling at school.
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However, she continued to have contact with CAMHS on and off when her mental health deteriorated.
In 2020, she completed cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), however, she was assessed again by CAHMS in February 2021, following a three month wait, and was diagnosed with bulimia, depression and social anxiety.
She was last seen by consultant child psychiatrist Dr Femi Akerele on the day she died.
She had recently been prescribed medication for her problems, was experiencing anxiety around school, and had self-harmed.
Dr Akerele told the inquest that during the appointment she said it had not been an attempt to kill herself, but that things had just got ‘on top of her’.
He added she had said she didn’t want to continue with going to school but with only six weeks left before finishing her A-levels and with no exams due to Covid restrictions - she had agreed to go back and was talking of going to university.
Although she was still at risk of self-harm and suicide, Dr Akerele said was more ‘open and brighter’.
He said: “I had no inclination whatsoever that Darcy would be thinking of harming herself or do anything to end her life. It came to me as a big shock.”
He added: “I felt she left with a sense of hope.”
Police confirmed an investigation into her death concluded there were no suspicious circumstances or third party involvement, and that no suicide note or messages had been found.
Recording a conclusion of suicide at a time when she was suffering from her mental health, coroner Philip Spinney said: "On the balance of probabilities, it is more likely than not she took her own life and intended to do so."
He added: "It is likely she acted impulsively."
Following Darcy's death, many tributes poured in saying that she had made a big impression on everyone she met with her 'boundless spirit' and left them feeling enlightened'.
A memorial website in her name received hundreds of beautiful messages.
Her family also bravely spoke out to raise awareness and encourage those suffering to seek help, explaining that Darcy did not show to other people that she was struggling and could not see how many friends she had.
"She was bubbly, she had brightness, she was just amazing," Michael said.
Deborah added: "She's come from a loving family, a secure upbringing, a good education, intelligent, lots of friends, respected, and yet, so many people didn't know that she was struggling and hid her thoughts and feelings.
"Until one day, she just couldn't take any more."
Darcy's family is now urging anyone struggling with mental health to reach out for help and also urge those who believe a loved one may be suffering to check in with them to make sure that they are really okay.
Michael said: "The picture of this beautiful young lady doesn't tell the whole truth. What is seen on the exterior is sometimes the polar opposite of what is happening inside. And the saddest part is that we sometimes cannot tell if someone is struggling and therefore, no one asks if they are really okay. The projection is not reality.
"My baby was so tortured she couldn’t see any other way out from the depths of despair and tragically ended her life. Please please please, we need to protect our loved ones, our young people who are suffering terribly.
"Please reach out to check if they are really okay and then ask again. You never know who you may save from their demons."
Last September, a group of six of Darcy's friends rowed the equivalent of a marathon to raise money for the mental health charities, Young Mind, and Pete's Dragons.
Fauci does not care.
Where are the statistics on suicide, drug ODs and alcoholism for the last two years? No stories at all on that that I've seen.
What a tragic story.
My sister teaches in Baltimore and has lots of stories of depression, violent fights, young sex, and anti-social behavior at her school. She frequently visits professional teaching boards from all over the country and teachers everywhere are seeing the same thing.
There was an article a couple days ago about the social pathologies in Silicon Valley companies and they sound similar (except no fights or sex). There is depression, ennui, “don’t give a sh!t” attitude, low or no productivity, tardiness, no respect for authority and frequent job hopping with zero on-boarding.
This was all predicted in March 2020 as the shutdowns were quickly ramping up and schools closing. People pooh-poohed the prospects of massive mental problems, but they are real.
My own seven year old great-niece is having horrendous behavioral problems and I think they are due to the ridiculous mask requirements.
Two of my three children have an endocrine disorder. They go through frightening bouts of depression. During one bad cycle, I had to have my middle child committed because they engaged in self harm.
Depression is an illness, like any other illness. You can’t just wish it away. Please, folks, take it seriously, and look for underlying medical conditions. Most teenagers go through it because of an imbalance in their endocrine system. Something so simple is often overlooked when it is treatable!
“Mrs Hollison said she took Darcy to see a psychiatrist”
FAIL! Taking her to some kook... Parents need to keep a keen reading on their kids and take action way before it gets to this point. Kids need constant talks on not being so susceptible to peer pressure, keeping life’s happenings in proper perspective, developing mental and emotional toughness, grit, resolve.
Shrinks are rarely the answer. I knew a coed back in 1977 at Western Kentucky University. Both she and her best friend went to the same shrink. He had complete carnal relations with both of them. I guess it was part of the counselling or something therapeutic (in his thinking).
Every kid I knew who was going off to college to be a shrink was coo coo. It was really a “whats wrong with me” fullfillment excersize.
Stats on suicide! You make an excellent point.
Of course, we already know that they cherry-pick the stories that advance “someone’s” agenda.
But in a short while we will hear about this epidemic of suicides; and exhortations of how the taxpayers need to kick in about $300 billion per year to solve the crisis.
God have mercy on us all.
My own seven year old great-niece is having horrendous behavioral problems and I think they are due to the ridiculous mask requirements.
Frankly the people with the real mental health problems are the families who send their children to places where they have to wear masks.
Why aren’t people home teaching their kids in Groups with other like minded souls?
9. Lockdowns kill people. There is strong evidence that lockdowns – through social, economic and other public health damage – are deadlier than the “virus”.
Dr David Nabarro, World Health Organization special envoy for Covid-19 described lockdowns as a “global catastrophe” in October 2020:
We in the World Health Organization do not advocate lockdowns as the primary means of control of the virus[…] it seems we may have a doubling of world poverty by next year. We may well have at least a doubling of child malnutrition […] This is a terrible, ghastly global catastrophe.”
A UN report from April 2020 warned of 100,000s of children being killed by the economic impact of lockdowns, while tens of millions more face possible poverty and famine.
Unemployment, poverty, suicide, alcoholism, drug use and other social/mental health crises are spiking all over the world. While missed and delayed surgeries and screenings are going to see increased mortality from heart disease, cancer et al. in the near future.
The impact of lockdown would account for the small increases in excess mortality [Facts 2 & 6]
https://off-guardian.org/2021/09/22/30-facts-you-need-to-know-your-covid-cribsheet/
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