Joanna Hartigan took her own life after confiding in nurse

Joanna Hartigan became ill after six months alone working in China, her husband told the inquest

A mother-of-two took her own life after telling a nurse she had researched suicide methods, an inquest heard.

Joanna Hartigan, 54, from Hereford, was found dead in November 2021 after medics decided she did not pose a serious risk.

The inquest heard she was depressed after losing her job and being separated from her family during the pandemic.

At the time of her death, she had been under the care of mental health staff.

"At no point did I think she was going to commit suicide. I felt she was a low risk," community psychiatric nurse David Bonner told the inquest.

Mrs Hartigan was working with her husband in China when the country went into lockdown, the hearing was told.

Their contracts were terminated but she secured a new job and returned to China in October 2020.

However, her husband was delayed and she spent six months alone before coming back to the UK in March 2021.

Dan Hartigan said his wife then became ill, suffering spasms and outbursts and was treated by mental health staff.

'Very difficult circumstances'

Two days before her death, Mr Bonner, from Herefordshire & Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust, said he met her and she told him she had researched methods of suicide.

He told the coroner he "didn't feel they were real threats" and they made plans to meet the following week.

Psychiatrist Dr Angharad Gray diagnosed Mrs Hartigan with moderate depression and moderate to severe anxiety.

"If I had thought there was a moderate risk of suicide then I'd have picked up the phone to the crisis team," she said.

Her husband told the inquest he believed her illness was due to the life-changing events of the pandemic, the death of her mother and restrictions on NHS care during Covid.

Coroner Mark Bricknell recorded a verdict of suicide.

He told Mr Hartigan: "These were very difficult circumstances that you were both faced with leading up to the death of Joanna."