A young man who struggled with depression for most of his life died after an overdose.
Lewis Proctor, 22, from Oldham, was found dead by his friend in their house in Waterton Lane, Mossley, in the early hours of May 9 this year.
Pathologist Dr Michael Scott determined Lewis’ death as acute drug toxicity.
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Lewis was described as a bubbly and funny boy by his mum and friends at an inquest into his death at Stockport Coroners' Court.
The court heard that Lewis may have suffered bullying at primary school and felt that he had suffered with depression for a long time.
Lewis had previously overdosed in both 2015 and 2019 before this tragic event in May 2021.
His mother, Julie Proctor, described her son as a ‘kind hearted’ man who cared about his family and friends.
“He was energetic and had a great sense of humour who liked listening to rock music, going to concerts and watching films with his friends,” she told the court.
She felt he had made some progress at the start of 2021 with his mental health becoming more ‘at ease’ with himself and improving his relationship with his family.
Mrs Proctor last saw Lewis on May 6, where he ‘appeared to be in a happy place’, laughing and being ‘witty’.
He told her he ‘appreciated everything she (Julie) did’ and would call her the following day.
The family only discovered during the hearing that Lewis had told his GP, Dr Arun Muthappan, during consultations the previous year that he felt his depression had come from a childhood ‘trauma’.
Lewis had never told the family about these incidents.
Dr Arun Muthappan, a GP at Pennine Medical Centre in Mossley, first had an appointment with Lewis on October 6 2020.
Lewis told Dr Muthappan that he was struggling with his mental health and had been since his ‘childhood trauma’.
Dr Muthappan discussed raising this with the police, but Lewis was uncomfortable with doing this.
Lewis was prescribed an antidepressant to try and improve his mental health.
His dosage increased, however, Dr Muthappan did not see Lewis again after December 2020.
Lewis had been living with his ‘best friend’, Adrian Craven, in Waterton Lane, Mossley, in the many months leading to his death.
Mr Craven spoke at the inquest to say that Lewis was ‘very likeable’ and a ‘very kind and caring’.
“He was like a brother to me,” Adrian said.
Adrian and Lewis spent the early hours of May 7 laughing and joking playing video games, with Adrian having no ‘new concerns’ about Lewis.
He said he did not see Lewis the next day and got concerned when he did not hear from him at all on May 8.
Adrian found Lewis unresponsive in his bedroom just before 1am on May 9.
The court heard that in the hours leading up to his death Lewis had sent messages to another close friend, Chloe Mellor, who described him as a person who made ‘everybody laugh’.
After these concerning messages and phone calls Chloe urged him to call Samaritans and thought he had got himself some help.
“I wish I had done something more,” Chloe told the court.
Area coroner for Manchester south, Chris Morris, said: “He was obviously a kind and generous hearted person. Witty and clearly somebody who tried to make others laugh.
“He never really found his own place in the world,” he added.
Mr Morris said he is thought to have suffered with depression since his childhood but ‘seemed a lot better’ at the start of 2021.
Mr Morris concluded his cause of death as suicide as a result of an overdose of drugs.
