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Islington Tribune - by CHARLOTTE CHAMBERS
Published: 30 January 2009

Cleaner found dead in bed

A CLEANR died as a result of an overdose of antidepressants, an inquest has heard.
Vivian Owusu, 55, was discovered by her son at her Percival Street home in Finsbury in October last year.
At a St Pancras inquest last Thursday, her son, Kwabena Antwi, said he found her lying on her bed in her work jeans and jacket, having apparently collapsed.
Commenting on her state of mind, he said she was “very suicidal” and had seemed “calm but not okay” that evening. “She was normal but seemed worried,” he added.
Coroner Dr Andrew Reid, reading from GP notes, said Mrs Owusu, who was married but separated, had been worrying about bills, housing issues and benefits and felt guilty that she had let down her niece.
In July last year she began to worry about death and started having nightmares. After seeing a psychiatrist and being given medication for a heart condition, she began sleeping well and was feeling a lot better, according to the notes.
She was also prescribed antidepressants known to be a common cause of fatal overdoses.
Dr Reid recorded an open verdict, saying he could not rule out an accidental overdose. It was likely Mrs Owusu died from an abnormal heart rhythm brought on by the antidepressants.

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