CROYDON ADVERTISER 15th January 2018 by Luke Jarmyn

Croydon man took his own life after finding out there was no funding to test to see if he had autism

Ian Taylor, 54, felt he 'did not have any friends and did not fit in',

an inquest has heard

A coroner has condemned the lack of any service

for diagnosing adults with autism in Croydon

after hearing how a Sanderstead man died after being told there was no funding

for him to undergo tests.

​

Ian Taylor was found by police in his garden shed after his sister found three notes including

a suicide letter in his house after he hadn’t been seen for a day in September.

The 54-year-old had gone to his GP with a self-diagnosis of adult autism but was told by his GP

that Croydon's CCG (clinical commissioning group) had previously

cut its adult autism clinic funding.

An inquest heard today (Monday, January 15) that while Bethlem Royal Hospital, in Beckenham,

provided adult tests, there is no funding for Croydon patients.

Assistant coroner Dr Adela Williams gave a verdict of suicide and said:

“It’s a stain on our society that there is no room to look into an illness.

That there is no route for that to be investigated and managed is an indictment of the system

as it is.”  Dr Williams added that Mr Taylor had been lonely and lived by himself.

She said: “He was an orderly and meticulous man who cared deeply for his pet dog and his family.

“ His sister became concerned and upon arrival found several letters addressed to her,

one said ‘in the shed’.

“There is no indication of strangulation or third party involvement and he made arrangements

laid out in the letters to take care of his dog and close family.”

Mr Taylor, a civil engineer, lived on Limpsfield Road next door to his mum

and had cared for with sister Heather Austin since their father passed away.

The inquest at South London Coroner's Court heard how Mr Taylor first visited his GP

following a break-up in October 2003 and visited again in July 2016 believing

he could have adult autism due to having to

always keep to a strict timetable and struggling to engage socially.

                                                                              Questions:

                                                                                                                                                                     Why did he not know about INASPECTRUM

                                                                                                                                                                          Why are people missing out?

                                                                                                                                                    Internet, GP, friends, Stigma, self-image, not fitting in                                                                                                                                                                           no Peers, tiredness depression,

                                                                                                                                                                           no satisfaction

                                                                                                                                                                        How can we find

                                                                                                      people like Ian Taylor

                                                                                                                                                                          WHILST THEY ARE ALIVE?