A "bubbly" young mum was found dead in her home when a repairman came to fix a broken lock.
Kelly Hunter, 29, took her own life after a years-long battle with depression, anxiety and drug and alcohol misuse, an inquest heard.
Kelly, of August Road, Tuebrook, had previously told her mum she "did not want to be here" and had self harmed, leaving her family desperate for her to seek help.
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But her brother, Robert Hunter, said their advice did not get through, and told the ECHO the last time he saw his sister they had argued about her seeking help.
He told the court: "She had a lot of mental health issues; she was not happy for a few years."
An inquest, held today at the Gerard Majella Courthouse in Kirkdale, was told Kelly did not appear open to seeking help and would not always take medication for her anxiety and depression as prescribed.
Speaking after the hearing, both Robert and mum Susan Paton described Kelly as a "bubbly" person.
Robert said: "I last saw her about 10 days before, the last thing we had was a bit of an argument, I was trying to get her to get help.
"She did listen, but when she walked out of the door it went out of her head, that was Kelly."
Susan said her daughter "loved being around people" and had a lot of friends - and "loved being a mum" to her two sons.
Although she was not working at the time of her death she had previously worked at a branch of New Look in Belle Vale, and had completed a hairdressing course when she was younger.
Robert said: "When she was about 17, I would say that was when I saw her the most happy. It's hard to put my finger on when things changed.
"But even later when she came to see us she would come in happy, she would tell you she was sound. She kept it hidden, apart from the time when she told my mum."
The inquest heard Merseyside Police were called to her home on April 27 this year by housing charity The Big Help Project.
Coroner's officer Lea Cripps told the court the repairman had attended the address to fix a broken lock at the back of the house but received no reply when he knocked on the door.
He had, however, been provided with a key and opened the door, finding a build-up of mail on the floor.
The court heard he shouted for Kelly and there was no reply.
When he ventured into the house he saw her body at the top of the stairs, and alerted the emergency services and his office.
Merseyside Police said the house was tidy and in good order and there were no signs of forced entry, leading them to conclude there were no suspicious circumstances around the death.
Two almost empty bottles of vodka were found at the scene, but the court heard no suicide note was recovered.
A post-mortem concluded that Kelly had been dead for some days before she was found.
Toxicology reports revealed a very high level of alcohol in her blood and traces of cocaine were also identified.
Anita Bhardwaj, area coroner for Liverpool and Wirral, said the high readings of alcohol, the presence of cocaine and the lack of any suicide note meant she could not reach a conclusion of suicide.
She said: "Kelly was 29-years-old and had a history of anxiety with depression and alcohol and drug abuse.
"On the 27th of April she was found deceased at the top of the stairs in her home...
"It's unclear what her intentions were at the time she took her own life but on the balance of probabilities it is more likely than not that drugs and alcohol would have impaired her decision making."
Ms Bhardwaj reached a narrative conclusion, stating: "Kelly took her own life when the balance of her mind was impaired."
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