Doncaster girl begged for help before suicide

A grief-stricken mother who says her depressed daughter took her own life claims she begged to be admitted to hospital for three weeks before her death.
Elysia PearceElysia Pearce
Elysia Pearce

Helen Robinson, aged 44, of The Crescent, Bircotes, is calling for more support for those with mental health problems after the death of her 20-year-old daughter Elysia Pearce on February 13.

Depressed Elysia fled her home with no shoes on the night before and was found dead in Bircotes Woods on Valentine’s Day. Her devastated mum said it was her 20th suicide attempt in ten months.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Helen has claimed Elysia, who suffered from borderline personality disorder, did not receive enough help from Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, despite repeated appeals for assistance.

She said Elysia had asked to be locked away by psychiatrists for her own protection.

She said her daughter was first referred to the trust’s Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment Team in March 2014 after suffering from depression and making attempts on her life.

Helen said her daughter often told her she did not feel she was receiving adequate treatment.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“She used to say ‘why can’t they fix me?’ and she was frustrated because she didn’t feel like they were helping,” she said.

Helen said Elysia, who was an aspiring make-up artist, had only just started telling her more about her condition in the days before she died.

“She asked me to watch a Youtube video about her disorder the night before she died. 
“The seven-minute long video describes feelings of confusion, insecurity, panic and loneliness.

“One minute she was perfectly fine and the next she wasn’t.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“It felt like I was constantly walking round on eggshells with her because I didn’t know how she would feel.

“Sometimes she was happy and chatty and sometimes I could barely get two words out of her, in her last few days she was very depressed and didn’t say much,” Helen said.

Her mum said Elysia had been begging to be taken into hospital for three weeks before her death, as she was no longer able to cope with her condition.

She was last visited by the crisis team on Sunday, February 8, when Helen says she was promised that she would be referred for extra mental health assessments.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

She claims that had already been promised on four previous occasions.

On the night she died, Elysia fled the family home and worried Helen called Nottinghamshire Police, who sent out a helicopter to search for her.

Helen says she believes her daughter could have been saved if she had received the treatment she needed.

She said: “To anyone who recognises how Elysia felt or needs help, talk to your family and tell them how you are feeling.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Help is out there. If one person doesn’t help you, go to somebody else and beg for it.”

An online fund has been set up by a family friend in Elysia’s memory.

The fund, called ‘Elysia’s final farewell’, received £1,110 in a day.

A spokesman for Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation said: “We would like to offer our sincere condolences to the family and friends of Elysia Pearce.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“We will be undertaking an internal investigation into the care and support provided to Elysia. 
“We take complaints very seriously and would ask that Elysia’s mother raise any concerns she has over her daughter’s care directly with us and they will be fully addressed.

“We are unable to comment further due to patient confidentiality.”

Jon Wilson from Nottinghamshire County Council’s Adult Social Care and Health department, said: “We are saddened to hear of Elysia Pearce’s untimely death last week and our thoughts are with her family at this difficult time.

“We will be working with the coroner and other agencies that worked with Elysia to investigate the circumstances that led to her death.”

An inquest will be held to officially establish the circumstances of Elysia’s death.

Related topics: