A “beautiful” student from West London who suffered anxiety and depression since she was 13 years old died by suicide after taking a cocktail of drugs. An inquest at West London Coroner’s Court heard how Alexandra ‘Alex’ Solomon was found dead aged 25 at her home on Wraysbury Avenue, West Drayton, Hillingdon, on September 29.
Originally from Harrow, the social work student first attempted to take her own life by way of an overdose when she was 14 years old, after being bullied at school. After being admitted to a mental health hospital, she gradually appeared to be getting better, but her dad became worried last year after she made some “concerning” remarks on her 25th birthday. Months later, she was found dead.
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Alexandra ‘Alex’ Solomon died on September 29, 2021 at her dad’s house in West Drayton
Alexandra was discovered by her dad with empty packets of prescribed and non-prescribed medication next to her bed on the afternoon of September 29, 2021. Her step mum gave CPR until London Ambulance Service paramedics arrived and took over. Tragically, she was pronounced dead at the scene at 7.01pm.
Police officers attended, and a notepad and diary was found in her bedroom which contained heartbreaking notes of apologies to her friends and family. No suspicious circumstances were found surrounding Alex’s death by investigating officers.
Alex’s mum says that “she was failed so badly by those who were meant to be caring for her mental health”
Alex’s mum Nargis Dada told the court by way of a victim impact statement that she is “not coping at all” with the death of her daughter. She said: “My beautiful daughter was my world, which has fallen apart without her. Each day is getting harder, and I am finding it impossible to eat properly, sleep or function.
“She was failed so badly by those who were meant to be caring for her mental health. All her dreams have disappeared and her friends and family have lost a precious, gentle soul.”
Dad Ian Solomon told the court: “Alex had been suffering from bouts of depression from the age of 13 due to bullying at school, and her mother and I constantly arguing at home. She went through counselling when she was 14 following an attempted suicide by overdose, which was followed by another attempt some months later.
“She was then admitted to a mental health hospital, where she continued to self-harm. As Alex grew older, she appeared to be getting better. But when she came home on her birthday on August 20, she seemed down. I asked her what was wrong and she told me: “I tried to kill myself when I was 14, I’m now 25 and still alive”. I’m so sad to say I swept it under the carpet, and months later this tragedy happened.”
You don’t have to suffer in silence if you’re struggling with your mental health. Here are some groups you can contact when you need help.
Samaritans: Phone 116 123, 24 hours a day, or email [email protected], in confidence
Childline: Phone 0800 1111. Calls are free and won’t show up on your bill
PAPYRUS: A voluntary organisation supporting suicidal teens and young adults. Phone 0800 068 4141
Depression Alliance: A charity for people with depression. No helpline but offers useful resources and links to other information
Students Against Depression: A website for students who are depressed, have low mood, or are suicidal. Click here to visit
Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM): For young men who are feeling unhappy. Has a website and a helpline: 0800 58 58 58
For information on your local NHS urgent mental health helpline, visit here
A toxicology report revealed that there were four different drugs in her system, including one which was not prescribed to her including one which Ian believes she bought on the dark web. A postmortem report conducted by consultant histopathologist Dr Hia Ali gave the medical cause of death as drug toxicity, which included a combination of four different drugs.
The court heard how Alex was placed under the care of Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust for several years, where a number of issues were raised surrounding her treatment. In a report, Dr Nicola Green told the court how Alex’s last contact with the mental health services was one week before her death, when she spoke to a psychologist.
She added: “Alex had been known to our services since August 2018, she was living with her father and step mum and her boyfriend stayed for parts of the week. She had been in a second year of a social work degree, but withdrew due to stress. She was diagnosed with anxiety, depression and emotionally unstable personality disorder.”
The court heard how although Alex had reported stockpiling medication, and despite her suffering multiple drug overdoses, that there was no records of conversations which could have led to her “level of risk” being updated. Risk assessments were also not updated in accordance with the Trust’s guidelines.
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Recording a conclusion of suicide, assistant coroner Anton Van Dellen told the court: “Alex was clearly a very dearly loved daughter, she had been unwell for a number of years and after falling unwell in her teenager with mental health problems, she had a number of suicide attempts by overdose at the age of 14.
He said: “A month before she died, she had a conversation with her father when she seemed very sad, although she brightened up after a few hours. She was under the care of Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust and I heard evidence from them that their risk assessments of Alex were not updated and did not reflect Alex’s escalating risk. I also heard evidence that the Trust was aware that Alex had reported stockpiling of medication.
“She died as a result of a mixed drug overdose including a drug that was not prescribed.” Extending his condolences to Alex’s family, he added: “I can only imagine how traumatic that day must have been for Mr Solomon and the rest of the family.”
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