Galway man lost medical card days before suicide

A 25-year-old man, who suffered from ADHD, took his own life in the days after being informed that his free medical card was to be cut, an Inquest into his death heard on Friday.

Coroner for West Galway, Dr Ciaran MacLoughlin, advised the man’s family to enquire as to why this action was being taken happened, in the event that other vulnerable people could also be affected in this way.

“It could be a consequence of austerity, cancelling the medical cards,” he said.

“If he was 25 and a student, he would have had no income. Attending a doctor in a private capacity, and paying for medication for ADHD – which is quite expensive – may have been enough to create a situation which he was not able to handle.”

The young man had attended a family celebration hours earlier, and was last seen at 4am; a text message was sent to a family member at 4.32am: “To mam and dad. I love you so much, sorry for everything.” He took his own life in the garden shed sometime after that.

His father discovered him at 8.50am on March 23 last. He told Gardaí afterwards that his son had been in low spirits in the days leading up to his death, as his medical card was to be cancelled, and he had found out that he had not qualified for a college grant.

See full inquest in this week’s Connacht Tribune.