Medical Student, 20, Hanged Himself In His University After He Smoked Cannabis To Cope With Stress

Medical student, 20, hanged himself in his university halls after he smoked cannabis to cope with stress of 'difficult' degree

• Matthew Rowe, 20, was a struggling trainee doctor at Manchester University
• He told friends he used drugs to cope with boredom and anger and confessed he found his five-year degree course 'difficult'
• Mr Rowe was found hanged in January this year by fellow students in their halls
• His mother said there had been no indication of previous attempts on his life and the 20-year-old had plans laid out he had been excited about

A struggling trainee doctor who told friends he took drugs to relieve 'boredom and anger' killed himself at his university halls, an inquest heard.

Matthew Rowe, a medical student at Manchester University, had taken cannabis to cope with the stress of his degree, and confided in friends he was finding his five year course difficult.

He had also developed hand tremors and was prescribed medication for sleeping problems.




Matthew Rowe, from Newport, was studying in Manchester, but admitted he found his degree tough

The 20-year-old was found hanged in his bedroom by his fellow students in the university's halls in Fallowfield in January.

Tests showed the keen sportsman had not recently used drugs, but the hearing was told he had been self harming and had taken various drugs including LSD cocaine and Ecstasy. He admitted he had harboured suicidal thoughts when under the influence of cannabis.

Mr Rowe, from Bassaleg in Newport, South Wales, got A* grades at school but struggled when he started his medical degree in 2015.

He took a year out to travel and worked in a pub.








Mr Rowe originally started his degree in 2015, but took a year out to go travelling and work as the stress began to show




His mother, Louise, said she had never seen him so low as in Christmas 2016, when he had developed hand tremors and had been on sleeping medication

His mother Louise Rowe, 47, a nursery nurse, told the hearing: 'Matthew was not only an excellent student, having achieved A* grades, he was also an enthusiastic sportsman and had been a keen rugby player, runner and played hockey which had taken him all over the world including Saudi Arabia, Iceland and Kenya.

'He had numerous offers to study medicine but began studying at Manchester university in September 2015.

'We began to notice that Matthew was struggling with the course. He was a bit moody and we could see he had cut his arms in a few places which he had never done before. He decided to defer his studies but remained in Manchester where he seemed happy. He got a job working in a local pub and came home for a week for Christmas 2016.



Mr Rowe admitted to friends he took drugs to help cope with boredom and anger, and said he struggled with his medical degree






Mr Rowe got a job in a pub when he deferred his studies, staying in Manchester but also travelling

'When he was at home he said he had been feeling very low and down and I had never seen him so lacking in confidence or displaying such a level of paranoia. He developed hand tremors and was prescribed medication for sleeping problems.

'He had been referred to the Crisis Center in Manchester and was assessed in November, which he was still awaiting the results of.

'Matthew re-assured us that he wouldn't do anything stupid and we were not aware that he had made any previous attempts to take his own life.

'He had been talking about the future and travelling to India - there were future plans in place.

'In January 2017 he was going to move from his room and was looking somewhere to stay until he went travelling. He never indicated that anything was wrong and he had told us the Crisis Centre had told him a lot of problems lay with anxiety issues.'




His friend Chantelle McMaster said she knew of his anxiety issues and drug use but thought it was occasional, rather than a level to cause concern

Fellow undergraduate Dominic Buttery said: 'He told me he believed he had schizophrenia but the last time I saw him he seemed positive and we were talking about living together next year. When he began taking drugs they seemed to have a positive effect on him at first but he said he had a bad experience with LSD in summer that year.

'I was aware that he self harmed when he was intoxicated with Ketamine but had stopped taking that in June 2016.'

Another friend Chantelle McMaster said: 'I knew he had anxiety issues and I had seen cuts on his arms but they didn't seem recent. We briefly spoke about it and at times I would ask if he was okay but it was difficult to talk fully whilst we were working.

'I had known him to take cocaine and he smoked cannabis most days but from what I was aware of this was occasional and not on a level that would cause me concern. He had gone home for a week over Christmas and when he returned he seemed better. When I last saw him seemed fine to me. I noticed this shift from before Christmas to when he came back - he seemed less moody and was excited about things he had coming up.




The doctor who assessed him in Manchester said Mr Rowe had been open about issues, and had told her about having a panic attack after using LSD

'He was meant to be working on January 9 and when he didn't show up I sent him a text to see if he was okay but he didn't respond.'

A report by Dr Justine Croft from NHS Manchester Crisis Centre who carried out a mental health assessment on Matthew said: 'He was quite open about how he felt and he told about one occasion in the summer of 2016 where he had used LSD and had a panic attack.

'Prior to university he had smoked cannabis on one or two occasions and began taking illicit drugs to improve his mood but would self harm superficially when he smoked cannabis to manage his emotions.

'He admitted that he had had suicidal thoughts when under the influence of illicit drugs. In September 2016 he started to smoke cannabis heavily and was using cocaine and ecstasy occasionally but never used psychedelic drugs again after that experience.






The coroner in Manchester recorded a verdict of suicide, saying the inquest had heard of a 'brilliant young man'

'He said that smoking cannabis made his anxiety much worse and referred to one occasion where he was on a bus after smoking cannabis and had an intrusive thought. He sought help following this incident but doctors confirmed the incident was as a result of anxiety.

'He told professionals that he had stopped taking cocaine and ecstasy completely and was using cannabis less frequently. He said that on occasions he would drink to excess, referring to one time where he had bought two litre bottles of Bailey's and drunk both. The medical professionals felt he was not particularly dependent on any substances or drugs.

'He stated that he took drugs from boredom, low moods and anger that university had not turned out how he had expected it to. The team concluded that there was no dependency on drugs but were concerned and encouraged him to make contact with a drug referral team.

'He told them he had self harmed superficially four to five times in 2016 under the influence of cannabis and this had not been with suicidal intentions and never required any medical attention. He did admit that he had regular fleeting thoughts of taking an overdose or hanging himself but had never made any plans of made any attempts to commit suicide.'

Recording a conclusion of suicide, Assistant Coroner Nick Stanage said: 'Matthew had very recently had a mental health assessment which was very thorough but it doesn't tell us everything that was on the mind of Matthew when his body was found. Nevertheless there is reference to Matthew telling the doctor he had self harmed himself four or five times in 2016 - usually when under the influence of cannabis.

'I cannot escape the quote from Dr Croft that Matthew had admitted fleeting thoughts of taking an overdose or hanging himself when his mood dropped. We heard of a brilliant young man and I am very sorry for your loss.'


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