Grandfather who took own life 'told to try Sudoku' for anxiety by mental health trust, inquest told
ITV News Anglia's Andy Ward reports on day one of the inquest
A grandfather who went on to take his own life was told to manage his anxiety by trying Sudoku, an inquest heard.
Alan Hunter, 72, died at home in Thorpe St Andrew near Norwich in October 2020.
At an inquest into his death, his daughter Claire Parker said she felt she had been left by the authorities to deal with her father's mental health crisis on her own.
She also accused the Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust (NSFT) of offering very little support or advice - apart from suggesting that he tried the Japanese number game sudoku to manage his anxiety.
Mrs Parker told Norfolk coroner's court that her father had been a very sociable man who had taken early retirement to care for his wife, who had been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease.
She died in 2012, but Mrs Parker said that her father did not start feeling really low until early January 2019 when he was given anti-depressants.
The inquest heard Mr Hunter made two attempts to kill himself before he was found hanged in his Norwich home in October 2020.
After his initial attempt just before the first coronavirus lockdown in March 2020, he was admitted to Hellesdon Hospital under the care of the NSFT.
He was then discharged in April and Mrs Parker told the inquest that she essentially became his full-time carer.
"It felt like I was the one left to manage my dad's mental health crisis", she said.
A psychiatrist from the trust told the inquest that Mr Hunter seemed stable and settled during his stay in hospital, and had said himself that he felt he was getting better.
The inquest, which is expected to last for five days, continues.
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