The heartbreaking diary entries of a mum who fled an abusive Scots relationship before taking her own life have been described by a coroner as 'cries for help' in the days before her death.
Single mum-of-four Olivia Humphreys, 26, overdosed on prescription drugs after expressing fears she was struggling to cope with her children, an inquest has heard.
Ms Humphreys returned to Salford near Manchester, where she was born, in early 2020 in a bid to flee from an 'extremely abusive' relationship in Ayrshire.
After sending her children to school and nursery on July 15 of last year, she took an 'excess' of her prescription medication at her home in Enville Road, Salford.
She dialled 999, but suffered a seizure and medical staff were unable to save her, reports Manchester Evening News.
The inquest at Bolton Coroner's Court on Thursday, June 24, heard Ms Humphreys had a history of depression and anxiety and had recently told mental health staff she had thought about taking her own life.
In the days before she died, she made a number of entries into a diary expressing her unhappiness.
On July 12, she wrote: 'Feeling like s***, completely exhausted.
"Why can I not cope? I am a parent, I am meant to be able to cope."
In an another entry, Ms Humphreys expressed graphic thoughts of self-harm.
The hearing was told how Ms Humphreys returned to Salford from Ayrshire in a bid for her and her children to make a 'fresh start'.
But after Ms Humphreys 'intentionally' overdosed last June, she was voluntarily admitted to the Meadowbrook mental health unit in Salford.
She was discharged on July 3 after expressing her wish to return home to her children, and was referred to a home-based treatment service.
The inquest heard Ms Humphreys was given a week's worth of prescription and a letter was sent to her GP with details of her discharge.
However, the letter did not arrive until July 15 - the day she died.
The day before her death, Olivia reported feeling 'increasingly overwhelmed and anxious' to a mental health worker.
She added that she was now having 'daily thoughts about ending her life' and was struggling to cope with her children.
The following morning, Ms Humphreys took two of her children to school while the other two were due to start nursery at 1pm.
Her father, Paul Humphreys, told the inquest that when his wife went to take the children, his daughter reported feeling 'fine'.
But after they left, Ms Humphreys took a 'quantity' of tablets.
She managed to dial 999 and call for an ambulance, but had a seizure and went into cardiac arrest.
She was taken to Salford Royal Hospital, where she was pronounced dead later that day.
Police coroner's officer Stefan Wilson said a letter in Ms Humphreys' handwriting was found in the house, as well as a pad with a message which read: 'I warned the social services this would happen'.
Giving evidence, pathologist Dr Muhammad Bashir said a post-mortem examination had given Ms Humphreys' cause of death as 'combined drug toxicity'.
He said toxicological tests showed elevated levels of prescription medications in her system.
Mr Humphreys told the hearing: "Olivia had something on her mind and nobody was going to stop what she was doing."
Recording a conclusion of 'suicide', coroner Timothy Brennand said it was clear Ms Humphreys had taken the medication deliberately.
"At the time she took that significant level of prescription medication, she intended to bring her life to an end," he said.
Mr Brennand added: "She had much to live for. She was somebody who wanted to be the best mother she possibly could be."
