Trans boy (17) who committed suicide in the psychiatric ward felt ‘worthless’

A 17-year-old trans boy who killed himself in a mental health unit felt “worthless” and “couldn’t think of anything positive about himself” shortly before his death, an inquest heard.

Charlie Millers, from Stretford, had been bullied and mistreated by healthcare staff at school in the five years before his death and was struggling with his mental health, Rochdale coroner court heard.

He was found unconscious in his room at Prestwich Hospital’s Youth Mental Health Unit, Junction 17, on December 2, 2020, and taken to Salford Royal Infirmary, where he died five days later from brain injuries.

He was the third young person to die at the understaffed hospital in less than a year.

The inquest, which was postponed due to a police investigation into whether data had been tampered with, heard how Charlie had experienced behavioral and mental health problems since the age of 11, culminating in self-harm and a number of suicide attempts. , which became increasingly worse as time went on.

Dr. Laura Eccleston, the clinical psychologist in charge of the unit, described Charlie as a “lovely boy, very cheeky and so caring”.

“He had very strong feelings of shame and struggled to experience a sense of self-worth,” she told the senior coroner, Joanne Kearsley.

Eccleston said she was traumatized by Charlie’s death after a difficult year dealing with staff shortages. “I wanted to do my best for all the young people in the department,” she said. “I was stretched and it was hard.”

When asked by the family’s lawyer if she thought Charlie’s mental health had deteriorated as a result of being on the unit, she said: “Nobody wants a child to be in an inpatient setting.”

But she admitted that the department “harmed Charlie in some ways” because he hurt himself more in hospital because he didn’t want to do that in front of his family.

The inquest also heard from Dr Polly Carmichael, a clinical psychologist who at the time oversaw the Gender Identity Development Service (Guide), to which Charlie was referred when he was almost 14.

Guide was run from the Tavistock and Portman Center in north London, which closed last month after an interim report found the clinic was “neither safe nor viable” due to its long waiting list.

She said Charlie, who had been in the care of the Leeds Guide service, was a ‘complex’ case and that his mental health problems and the fact he was autistic and had difficulty expressing his feelings prevented him from accessing puberty. blockers to treat his gender dysphoria.

The drugs are prescribed to delay puberty so that an adolescent has a chance to think about whether to use gender-affirming hormones. The vast majority of children who use puberty blockers go on to use gender-affirming hormones, such as testosterone, as adults.

She said there were “several references in our notes to difficulties expressing his feelings” and that his mental health should have been stable before he could obtain drugs.

She added: “For young people with autism that would undoubtedly slow down the process.”

Charlie had complained about how slow his treatment was, she said, adding that it was a “tragic reality” Charlie faced because being 17 meant he had to be treated in adult care, which made access to care more difficult would have made. .

The investigation continues.

• In Great Britain and Ireland, you can contact Samaritans on freephone 116 123, or by email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, or chat 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to contact a crisis counselor. In Australia the crisis support service is Lifeline 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at friendsers.org