The inquest into the death of 16-year-old Elspeth McKendrick heard this week that the teenager committed suicide after being diagnosed with Asperger syndrome because she couldn’t come to terms with her diagnosis.
Elspeth, who was described as a bright and intelligent student, had scored a string of A grades in her GCSEs just weeks before her death. She had also already been accepted to Manchester College of Art to study her A levels.
The inquest in Heywood, Manchester, heard that Elspeth – who was a prefect at her school – felt ‘alone’ and struggled to share her feelings over her diagnosis.
Tragically, Elspeth was found hanged in her bedroom, having left a note apologising to her family. In the letter, she expressed her wish to be able to open up to her friends about her condition.
Elspeth’s heartbroken mum Rebecca Jackson opened up on life with her daughter, saying: “She had told of problems socialising and making close friends. Although she had a lot of friends she also wanted to have a close best friend and she did not have that.”
“There were behavioural issues and tantrums that were beyond my experience of normal teenage tantrums because, for Elspeth, things were black and white,” she added.
She also revealed that Elspeth was very upset after being diagnosed with Asperger syndrome in 2012, saying that she was “in denial” over it.
This is such a sad story that highlights just how incredibly difficult it can be for children or young people to come to terms with conditions like this. Our hearts go out to her family.
