A brilliant medical student took his own life at his university halls after struggling with anxiety and the stress of his degree, an inquest heard.

Trainee doctor Matthew Rowe, 20, told friends at Manchester University that he was finding his five-year course difficult and had suffered from hand tremors and insomnia.

A hearing in Manchester heard how Matthew, who also smoked cannabis to relieve “boredom, low moods and anger”, had tried to address his problems - but he was found hanged in his bedroom by fellow undergraduates at student halls in Fallowfield last January.

Although test showed no recent drug use, the Manchester hearing was told he had been self harming and had taken various drugs including LSD cocaine and Ecstasy. He admitted he had harboured suicidal thoughts when under the influence of cannabis.

Matthew, who was from Newport, South Wales, had achieved A stars in his grades at a local comprehensive but he struggled when he started his medical degree in 2015. He decided to take a year out to work in a pub and go travelling.

If you need to talk to someone, these are the people who can help...

Video Loading

His mother Louise Rowe, 47, a nursery nurse, told the hearing: “Matthew was not only an excellent student, having achieved A* grades, he was also an enthusiastic sportsman and had been a keen rugby player, runner and played hockey which had taken him all over the world including Saudi Arabia, Iceland and Kenya. He had numerous offers to study medicine but began studying at Manchester university in September 2015.

“We began to notice that Matthew was struggling with the course. He was a bit moody and we could see he had cut his arms in a few places which he had never done before.

"He decided to defer his studies but remained in Manchester where he seemed happy. He got a job working in a local pub and came home for a week for Christmas 2016.

“When he was at home he said he had been feeling very low and down and I had never seen him so lacking in confidence or displaying such a level of paranoia. He developed hand tremors and was prescribed medication for sleeping problems.

"He had been referred to the Crisis Centre in Manchester and was assessed in November, which he was still awaiting the results of.

“Matthew re-assured us that he wouldn’t do anything stupid and we were not aware that he had made any previous attempts to take his own life.

"He had been talking about the future and travelling to India - there were future plans in place.

“In January 2017 he was going to move from his room and was looking somewhere to stay until he went travelling. He never indicated that anything was wrong and he had told us the Crisis Centre had told him a lot of problems lay with anxiety issues.”

Fellow undergraduate Dominic Buttery told the hearing: “He told me he believed he had schizophrenia but the last time I saw him he seemed positive and we were talking about living together next year. When he began taking drugs they seemed to have a positive effect on him at first but he said he had a bad experience with LSD in summer that year.

"I was aware that he self harmed when he was intoxicated with Ketamine but had stopped taking that in June 2016.”

If you need to talk to someone, click here to found out how to contact The Samaritans

Another friend Chantelle McMaster also gave evidence, saying: “I knew he had anxiety issues and I had seen cuts on his arms but they didn’t seem recent. We briefly spoke about it and at times I would ask if he was okay but it was difficult to talk fully whilst we were working.

Watch: How to show someone who's feeling low that you're thinking of them

Video Loading

“I had known him to take cocaine and he smoked cannabis most days but from what I was aware of this was occasional and not on a level that would cause me concern. He had gone home for a week over Christmas and when he returned he seemed better. When I last saw him seemed fine to me. I noticed this shift from before Christmas to when he came back - he seemed less moody and was excited about things he had coming up.

“He was meant to be working on January 9 and when he didn’t show up I sent him a text to see if he was okay but he didn’t respond.”

A report by Dr Justine Croft from NHS Manchester Crisis Centre who carried out a mental health assessment on Matthew said: “He was quite open about how he felt and he told about one occasion in the summer of 2016 where he had used LSD and had a panic attack.

"Prior to university he had smoked cannabis on one or two occasions and began taking illicit drugs to improve his mood but would self harm superficially when he smoked cannabis to manage his emotions.

“He admitted that he had had suicidal thoughts when under the influence of illicit drugs. In September 2016 he started to smoke cannabis heavily and was using cocaine and ecstasy occasionally but never used psychedelic drugs again after that experience.

“He said that smoking cannabis made his anxiety much worse and referred to one occasion where he was on a bus after smoking cannabis and had an intrusive thought. He sought help following this incident but doctors confirmed the incident was as a result of anxiety.

“He told professionals that he had stopped taking cocaine and ecstasy completely and was using cannabis less frequently. He said that on occasions he would drink to access, referring to one time where he had bought two litre bottles of Bailey’s and drunk both. The medical professionals felt he was not particularly dependent on any substances or drugs.

“He stated that he took drugs from boredom, low moods and anger that university had not turned out how he had expected it to. The team concluded that there was no dependency on drugs but were concerned and encouraged him to make contact with a drug referral team.

“He told them he had self harmed superficially four to five times in 2016 under the influence of cannabis and this had not been with suicidal intentions and never required any medical attention. He did admit that he had regular fleeting thoughts of taking an overdose or hanging himself but had never made any plans of made any attempts to commit suicide.’’

Recording a conclusion of suicide, Assistant Coroner Nick Stanage said: “Matthew had very recently had a mental health assessment which was very thorough but it doesn’t tell us everything that was on the mind of Matthew when his body was found.

“Nevertheless there is reference to Matthew telling the doctor he had self harmed himself four or five times in 2016 - usually when under the influence of cannabis.

“I cannot escape the quote from Dr Croft that Matthew had admitted fleeting thoughts of taking an overdose or hanging himself when his mood dropped. We heard of a brilliant young man and I am very sorry for your loss.”

Helplines and websites

Samaritans (116 123) operates a 24-hour service available every day of the year. If you prefer to write down how you’re feeling, or if you’re worried about being overheard on the phone, you can email Samaritans at jo@samaritans.org.

Childline (0800 1111) runs a helpline for children and young people in the UK. Calls are free and the number won’t show up on your phone bill.

PAPYRUS (0800 068 41 41) is a voluntary organisation supporting teenagers and young adults who are feeling suicidal.

Depression Alliance is a charity for people with depression. It doesn’t have a helpline, but offers a wide range of useful resources and links to other relevant information. http://www.depressionalliance.org/

Students Against Depression is a website for students who are depressed, have a low mood or are having suicidal thoughts. Bullying UK is a website for both children and adults affected by bullying. http://studentsagainstdepression.org/

The Sanctuary (0300 003 7029) operates a 24-hour service available every day of the year, for people who are struggling to cope - experiencing depression, anxiety, panic attacks or in crisis.