Deceased
K
Demographics
15y, male
Date of death
2014-06-07
Finding date
2017-04-05
Cause of death
Hanging (redacted in original but indicated by reference to method of suicide)
AI-generated summary
A 15-year-old boy with depression died by suicide. He had a difficult relationship with his parents and was reluctant to engage with mental health services. A clinical psychologist assessed him as low-moderate suicide risk after a severe DASS score, but did not inform his parents or GP of this assessment or risk level. She prioritised building therapeutic rapport over parental communication. The coroner found no clear legal duty breached but highlighted systemic gaps: lack of documented mature minor assessment, absence of clear confidentiality boundaries established at treatment outset, failure to discuss severe depression scores with parents/GP, and absence of psychiatric consultation despite severe stress and depression ratings. Better protocols for consent, confidentiality, and information-sharing with parents in adolescent mental health are needed.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Specialties
Error types
Clinical conditions
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