The Death & Memorial Service of Thomas Kingston, Husband of Lady Gabriella Kingston

[Princess_Eleanor]

Yes, I don't understand this. Any sudden stopping should have been reported to his Doctor but I don't know of course why he did, none of us do. It's all very tragic and senseless.

I'm not a doctor, so I'm not sure how to best explain it. But essentially I think SSRI medication blocks serotonin (which everyone produces) from leaving the brain.

 

[Princess_Eleanor]

If a doctor prescribed him antidepressents, I would assume that the doctor assessed that he was depressed. Intense work and money troubles can also be a reason for depression.

Sure, career change, a break from work might have all been helpful, but we don't really know what was discussed with the doctor and whether the doctor recommended therapy, where such things could be discussed in detail.

I think in a sense suicide always seems avoidable. But at the same time it's also not, because the person decided to do it in that moment without telling anyone or calling 911.
It is difficult to say afterwards what exactly went through his mind since he apparently left no note. I think it's very sad for him, Gabriella and all his family and friends.

I don't know what happened with the medication, I just wanted to say that sertraline and other SSRIs don't block seratonin, but rather block it from leaving the brain.

 

[Mirabel]

Kingston may simply have felt overwhelmed, and acted on the spur of the moment.
It's impossible to know for certain (maybe he didn't really know).

 

[maria-olivia]

This is private , you may take your tablets X , XX and commit suicide.
I am sure as always in this sad situation his wife and his parents must feel alas a bit guilty

 

[Royalist.in.NC]

Assuming that the BBC has named the correct drug, it's the one that I was on for a while, as I've mentioned a few posts above. And, yes, it really can make you feel that bad. I was told that I'd been very unlucky and that only a small number of people are so badly affected, but that's not a lot of help if you're one of the few. Obviously Thomas had the same reaction.

It's a very common antidepressant. I know plenty of people who have benefited from it. Everyone reacts differently. I'm now on sertraline and that works for me, but, from what the BBC says, they tried Thomas on that one first and it didn't help him.

The side effects do generally wear off after a few weeks, and you feel better, but those few weeks can be absolute hell.

What a tragedy. Very, very upsetting.

He was first on Zoloft then Celexa which is known for possible suicidal ideation particularly in teens and young adults. No one should be on an SSRI without having therapy at the same time and closely monitored for reactions. Also I don’t know his dosage but quitting one of these meds cold turkey is not protocol - you are supposed to wean from them to prevent side effects.

This is so so tragic. I don’t know how mental health prescribing happens in the UK but in my experience, some GP’s don’t have the knowledge base to prescribe more serious meds such as Celexa. There are plenty of other meds (such as Prozac) that have far fewer side effects. As a counselor I cannot prescribe of course, but encourage folks to see a psychiatrist if a first line med (for ex Zoloft , Prozac, Lexapro) aren’t effective. Celexa is well known for serious side effects and stopping without weaning unfortunately can exacerbate those side effects.

I am deeply sorry for his family and friends.

 

[RabbitRabbit]

He was first on Zoloft then Celexa which is known for possible suicidal ideation particularly in teens and young adults. No one should be on an SSRI without having therapy at the same time and closely monitored for reactions. Also I don’t know his dosage but quitting one of these meds cold turkey is not protocol - you are supposed to wean from them to prevent side effects.

This is so so tragic. I don’t know how mental health prescribing happens in the UK but in my experience, some GP’s don’t have the knowledge base to prescribe more serious meds such as Celexa. There are plenty of other meds (such as Prozac) that have far fewer side effects. As a counselor I cannot prescribe of course, but encourage folks to see a psychiatrist if a first line med (for ex Zoloft , Prozac, Lexapro) aren’t effective. Celexa is well known for serious side effects and stopping without weaning unfortunately can exacerbate those side effects.

I am deeply sorry for his family and friends.

I gather from speaking to a contact in the UK if you are taking sertraline or similar medicines you are supposed to be closely monitored usually by a psychiatric specialist who checks on usage and how people are doing. The family is fully informed as part of the case. I think the court must have been over all this thoroughly as investigation looks closed.

 

[Katymcwaity]

I gather from speaking to a contact in the UK if you are taking sertraline or similar medicines you are supposed to be closely monitored usually by a psychiatric specialist who checks on usage and how people are doing. The family is fully informed as part of the case. I think the court must have been over all this thoroughly as investigation looks closed.

Well, without getting into it, my experience was monitored only by the gp and not that closely either with a course of CBT thrown in. I would think you would have to be severely depressed to get more specialised help immediately.

The coroner can make recommendations which have to be responded to but I don’t think any action has to taken. The medication leaflets are clear as to the worse case scenarios scenario and the GPs will say its will take a couple of weeks to kick in ( its often longer and not pleasant which is why some stop)

 

[Moonmaiden23]

Kingston was by all accounts in a good mood only the day before his death. He was also very close and bonded with his parents. He would never, ever in his right mind have subjected them to the trauma of having to break down the bathroom door to retrieve his mutilated body.

This underlined that it was exactly as his widow told the inquest - an impulsive and fatal decision brought on probably by a sudden shift in mood.

But part of the tragedy is that his family will never know with complete certainty what compelled their son and husband to lock himself in the bathroom with a rifle.

I had a friend who did the exact same thing when we were sixteen years old. She used her step father's service pistol. We attended the same church, the same school. She used to come over to our house and she liked to play with my kitten on our front porch. I was so traumatized that I didn't attend her funeral.It's been years and years and it's still extremely troubling to me.

I cannot imagine the depth of pain for the Kingstons and for Lady Gabriella especially during this holiday season.

 

[hereditarytitles]

Kingston was by all accounts in a good mood only the day before his death. He was also very close and bonded with his parents. He would never, ever in his right mind have subjected them to the trauma of having to break down the bathroom door to retrieve his mutilated body.

This underlined that it was exactly as his widow told the inquest - an impulsive and fatal decision brought on probably by a sudden shift in mood.

But part of the tragedy is that his family will never know with complete certainty what compelled their son and husband to lock himself in the bathroom with a rifle.

I had a friend who did the exact same thing when we were sixteen years old. She used her step father's service pistol. We attended the same church, the same school. She used to come over to our house and she liked to play with my kitten on our front porch. I was so traumatized that I didn't attend her funeral.It's been years and years and it's still extremely troubling to me.

I cannot imagine the depth of pain for the Kingstons and for Lady Gabriella especially during this holiday season.

Moonmaiden, I feel sorry for you experience. I had the sad experience with close family members, who tried to commit suicide by taking too many sleeping pills or drugs. Fortunately or unfortunately for myself I was the one who discovered it on time and brought them to the hospital and they were rescued. Although it is a long time ago, whenever I hear of stories like that my trauma of those experiences comes back to me.
What I cannot understand that there are pills nowadays that are so dangerous that instead of helping people to get over their depression have the opposite effect.

 

[Alisa]

All I see is a family who is seeking closure and trying to make sense of this terrible tragedy.
The reality is that they may not get the closure they're seeking.

The results of the inquest makes no sense. It is flawed with faulty reasons and contradictions.

For example, Lady Gabriella stated that she doubts the stress of work would have led him to take his own life and that it was "much improved"; yet according to the report Thomas sought treatment for because of " the stress of work". He was so stressed he had problems sleeping.

Also for what it's worth and I know it's not pleasant for the family to admit this but it is evident that Thomas misused his medications. He "doubled down" on his sleeping pills and apparently "abruptly stopped" taking his antidepressants. Something all patients on antidepressants are counseled to NEVER do.

Also Thomas' father reported that he saw his son have an unusually "blunt" conversation with Lady Gabriella and his friends. That unusual-atypical conversation and personality shift should have been a warning sign that all was not well with Thomas if suddenly became agitated and "blunt".

Lastly, the notion that Thomas couldn't have possibly committed suicide because he was happy and cheerful the day before at his niece's birthday party is faulty reasoning. It is well known and numerous studies show that people with suicidal thoughts often exhibit or display happiness or seem to have unusual bursts of energy and glee prior to committing suicide. It comes from them making peace with their decision to commit suicide and feeling like they have "won the battle" they were wrestling with.

It is what it is. I hope the family can move on from this terrible tragedy.

 

[Alison H]

I gather from speaking to a contact in the UK if you are taking sertraline or similar medicines you are supposed to be closely monitored usually by a psychiatric specialist who checks on usage and how people are doing. The family is fully informed as part of the case. I think the court must have been over all this thoroughly as investigation looks closed.

No. You have check-ups with a GP, but they're usually several weeks apart. You are not monitored by any sort of specialist. There just aren't the resources for that.

Ideally, you should also have CBT, but you might have to wait two years to get an appointment. There are long waiting lists. Thomas Kingston could presumably have afforded to see someone privately, but, even then, the wait for an appointment can be several months.

There's always been depression. The opium trade in the 19th century was so lucrative because so many people were taking laudanum. Alcohol used to be known as "the quickest road out of [name of city]". But I think that anti depressants are now being handed out too quickly and easily. They're not paracetamol. They can have very serious side effects.

 

[Royalist.in.NC]

I gather from speaking to a contact in the UK if you are taking sertraline or similar medicines you are supposed to be closely monitored usually by a psychiatric specialist who checks on usage and how people are doing. The family is fully informed as part of the case. I think the court must have been over all this thoroughly as investigation looks closed.

This is really good to know and sounds very appropriate!

 

[Katiedidit]

Kingston was by all accounts in a good mood only the day before his death. He was also very close and bonded with his parents. He would never, ever in his right mind have subjected them to the trauma of having to break down the bathroom door to retrieve his mutilated body.

This underlined that it was exactly as his widow told the inquest - an impulsive and fatal decision brought on probably by a sudden shift in mood.

But part of the tragedy is that his family will never know with complete certainty what compelled their son and husband to lock himself in the bathroom with a rifle.

I had a friend who did the exact same thing when we were sixteen years old. She used her step father's service pistol. We attended the same church, the same school. She used to come over to our house and she liked to play with my kitten on our front porch. I was so traumatized that I didn't attend her funeral.It's been years and years and it's still extremely troubling to me.

I cannot imagine the depth of pain for the Kingstons and for Lady Gabriella especially during this holiday season.

I'm so sorry.you had to experience that. Truly heartbreaking.

 

[An Ard Ri]

The inquest into the death of Thomas must have been such a traumatic event for Lady Gabriella and having to relive that day all over again.
What a horrible time of the year too and her 1st Christmas as a widow.

 

[maria-olivia]

Brave Princess , even the tablets her late husband was taking and non taking. To me this should remain private.

 

[An Ard Ri]

Lady Gabriella is a brave lady and trying to get on with her life , I do hope that 2025 will be a happier year for her.