Holly Glasson, 29, died by suicide in Norwich court told

Holly Glasson had been on antibiotics since the age of 15 to treat her rosacea, which leaves sufferers with a red, flushed face, but stopped taking it because she wanted to start a family with her fiancé.

But the condition returned and worsened, leaving her in pain and discomfort.

She also suffered from “rapid and significant” weight loss, body dysmorphia and insomnia, and her mental health deteriorated rapidly.

Eight months after she stopped taking the drugs, Miss Glasson - described by her family as a 'confident, happy high achiever' - died after jumping from a multi-storey car park in Norwich.

Holly Glasson (Image: Dignity)

An inquest into her death, at Norfolk Coroner's Court, heard that the pensions advisor had left notes in a microwave which were found after her death.

These were for her friends and family, but also for the medical professionals involved in her care, raising her concerns about the impact of her medication and the way she had abruptly stopped taking it.

Samantha Goward, the coroner, said Miss Glasson had wanted information about her plight to be shared, to help others.

“[The notes] provide an insight into the kind of person that Holly was," Mrs Goward said.

"Even when she was clearly at a point of immense difficulty and crisis for herself, she was asking for her story to be shared and raising her concerns that lessons should be learned for the benefit of others. 

"Given the importance of that to Holly we agree to read out her concerns about the issues with medication and the lack of consideration of her physical and mental health conditions together, and the side effects of those medications.” 

Holly Glasson  (Image: Dignity)

'NO JOINT APPROACH'

Mrs Goward also raised concerns that there was no "joint approach" to her medication between her GP and the specialists involved in her care.

The inquest heard that Miss Glasson, a former Norfolk County Council employee from Carshalton Road in Norwich, was taking lymecycline, an oral antibiotic, to treat her rosacea, which she had had since her early teens. 

In October 2022, she decided to start a family with her fiancé and was told to stop taking the medication as it posed a risk to unborn babies. 

Having listened to evidence, Mrs Goward said this was followed by a significant change.

“From November 2022, her demeanour and general behaviour fundamentally changed," she said.

“She became anxious, withdrawn and depressed.

"Miss Glasson sought help from many professionals and was prescribed a number of medications, but this frightened her, and she was often non-compliant.”

By March 2023, she expressed suicidal thoughts to a private dermatologist over her ongoing skin conditions and pain. She was referred to and seen by the Crisis team. 

The following month, she confided in a close friend and colleague telling them that while she did not want to die, she did not want to live either. 

In the final two weeks of her life, her family believed she had “started to turn a corner” by becoming sociable again but in retrospect they said she had been saying her final farewells.

She was declared dead by paramedics on the morning of June 3, 2023. 

'A CONFIDENT, HIGH ACHIEVER'

Mrs Goward found that Miss Glasson had no history of signification mental health conditions until the months leading up to her death. 

She said: “There is no evidence that there was a joint approach to medication between medical specialists and the GP, and changes to the regime prescribed by the specialist were changed by the GPs without reverting back to the specialists for advice. 

“The concern of possible body dysmorphia should also have been referred to the mental health specialist to consider.  

“There should have been a joint discussion as this was an opportunity for all involved to share concerns and discuss an appropriate plan for ongoing management, and for someone to take overall responsibility for having an overview of Holly’s condition and medication.

“I find that this did have a detrimental impact on Holly's mental health.”

Mrs Goward said the messages found in her microwave had provided an insight.

“Notes found by the police provided an indication of her intent at the time," she said.

In the message to her doctors, which Mrs Goward said she wanted to be shared, Miss Glasson wrote: "I am desperate for something to be learned from my case for the benefit of others.

"Firstly, of the potential risks of long-term [antibiotic] usage and advising stopping this all at once after circa 15 years of use.

"Moreover, appalling mental health experience where I do not feel my physical health was considered alongside.

"I never had it explained that insomnia could be a risk of the anti-depressant prescribed and sleep was crucial to me (as I suppose to all)."

A family statement provided to the court described her as “confident, happy, and a consistently high achiever" who was “hard-working and bright”. 

Her friends said she was “positive, cheerful, and she had an amazing smile”. 

The medical cause of her death was multiple musculoskeletal injuries, and Mrs Goward recorded a conclusion of suicide. 

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