Fleetwood teen Holly Egan, 17, died in train collision after struggling with her mental health in Covid lockdowns
A ‘polite and compassionate’ teenager was found dead under the rear carriage of a train after her mental health issues were thought to have worsened during the Covid-19 lockdowns.
Yet at an appointment on May 13, Holly continued to show depressive symptoms and low mood, so she was admitted to a specialist centre called the Cove, based in Heysham as an inpatient. Despite initially engaging in the activities on the ward like baking, and maintaining a good diet, she did have a history of self harm, explained the doctor.
Holly returned for a home visit, from June 3 to 8, with considerable risk assessments, support and advice on how to keep herself safe, but said she did not want to return home when she came back to the Cove on June 9, as the doctor said she told him she did not want to burden her mum. The consultant told the hearing, quietly: “My first impression of Holly was that she came across as very polite and compassionate. She did not want to talk about her difficulties.
However, when pressed on whether the lockdown itself had had any impact by Assistant Coroner Andrew Cousins, the doctor said: “She started feeling guilty because her friend had mental health issues - she felt responsible. The effect of the lockdown, when that happened, was that she could not have contacted those friends; she could not check on them.”
Students Against Depression: A website for students who are depressed, have low mood, or are suicidal. Click here to visit.Campaign Against Living Miserably : For young men who are feeling unhappy. There is a helpline: 0800 58 58 58 or visit the website. Ms Warwick told the hearing: “We could see Holly wanted support. She never cancelled at the last minute, never missed any appointments... but she found it very difficult to engage and answer questions.” When it emerged that the team member who had been meeting with Holly would be leaving, Holly was asked if she wanted to continue with the intervention or be discharged.