A TRAGIC university student killed herself with a caffeine overdose after posting haunting final messages about her "last weekend on planet Earth", an inquest heard.
Sophia Benning, 24, died in her student halls at Salford University after posting the string of harrowing posts on Reddit about her torment.
The "super intelligent" science student wrote: "I’m tired on putting in this facade. I’m tired of putting on a fake smile when I’m emotionally dying.”
Another said: "Before next week/by Monday. I’m ready to go. I have nothing left. I can’t stop thinking about suicide and NEED to go."
She was found dead last March 19 after taking three times the fatal level of caffeine, an inquest was told.
Sophia had used her expertise in biomedicine to order a supplement and knew how much to take for a lethal dose.
HAUNTING MESSAGES
The hearing heard she had been diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome but had done well at school and college.
She initially went Sheffield university to study bioengineering, but she left in the first year and enrolled on a three year a biomedicine studies course at Salford in 2016.
But in the weeks leading up to her death, her family grew concerned by her not responding to social media messages.
They were then contacted by Sophia's boyfriend, who had seen the haunting messages posted online.
'IT'D BE BETTER IF I WAS DEAD'
Her sister Sarah took her to hospital on March 18 but she was discharged and advised to see her GP. The student was said to be "upbeat and laughing" on the way there.
Sophia's devastated dad Jimmy Singh said: "Sarah said she seemed in quite good spirits, she was laughing about how difficult it was to park and how they couldn’t find a parking space near the Accident and Emergency unit.
"If she said anything about ending her life, she would say: 'It’d be better off if I’m dead' but it was sort of off-the-cuff. We weren’t aware of any attempt she made to harm herself."
YOU'RE NOT ALONE
EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide.
It doesn't discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society – from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers.
It's the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes.
And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women.
Yet it's rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now.
That is why The Sun launched the You're Not Alone campaign.
The aim is that by sharing practical advice, raising awareness and breaking down the barriers people face when talking about their mental health, we can all do our bit to help save lives.
Let's all vow to ask for help when we need it, and listen out for others… You're Not Alone.
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support:
- CALM, www.thecalmzone.net, 0800 585 858
- Heads Together, www.headstogether.org.uk
- Mind, www.mind.org.uk, 0300 123 3393
- Papyrus, www.papyrus-uk.org, 0800 068 41 41
- Samaritans, www.samaritans.org, 116 123
But tragically she was discovered dead a day later – with her university awarding her a a posthumous first class degree.
Coroner Alan Walsh recorded a verdict of suicide, saying: "Sophia was a very bright and super intelligent young lady with a supportive family who did well on her uni course and she had a lot of support from the people in her flat.
"Those message she’s logged on Reddit were very clear yet she was extremely capable of covering her intentions.
"She covered everything that must have been in her thoughts and it’s quite astonishing she had the intentions able to carry with these inner thoughts.
''I find it extremely sad when somebody on the outside is happy when they are having these thoughts.
''I am extremely saddened, she was 24, a super bright, highly educated young lady."
If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call the Samaritans on (free) 116123
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