A young university student told her mother and brother she missed them but would ‘get through the trimester’ days before taking her own life.
Stacey McConway was found dead in her dorm room at the Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand on July 27, 2018.
Friends had raised the alarm with a residential advisor (RA) after not hearing from the 19-year-old, who had struggled with her mental health, in two days.
In the days before her death, Ms McConway spoke to her mother about being homesick but said she was determined to see the trimester through.
On July 25 she spent four hours talking to a male classmate in her room. He was the last person she spoke to.
Stacey McConway was found dead in her dorm room at the Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand on July 27, 2018
The 19-year-old had a history of mental health struggles since her dad died in 2013
Ms McConway was seen by multiple mental health professionals between 2013 and 2017, following the death of her father, according to a Coroner’s report released on Friday, the NZ Herald reported.
In September 2017, months before Ms McConway left for university, she overdosed on sleeping pills.
She denied wanting to end her life and said she simply wanted to sleep.
After beginning her criminal psychology degree in 2018, Ms McConway reached out to the campus doctor.
She explained having trouble sleeping, mood swings and depression stemming from the death of her father in 2013.
One week later she was back at the clinic telling the staff that her anxiety had worsened but her sleep was getting better.
She also said that her friends were supportive and that she had no suicidal thoughts.
Ms McConway met with the counselling service again on June 12 after her friends sought help from the university’s support team.
The teenager said she was ‘managing everything okay’ and suspected her friends may have been overreacting.
The coroner’s report found in the week before her death, Ms McConway had dropped some of her subjects and had a falling out with a friend.
The coroner found that although Ms McConway had been struggling with her mental health, there was no indication of suicidal intent and added she had appeared upbeat in her final call with her mother.
Ms McConway’s mother has since launched the charity Adopt a Student, which aims to support students who are struggling at university.
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Ms McConway’s mother has since established a charity, Adopt a Student, which helps struggling students cope at university