Family members have paid tribute to a woman who hanged herself at her Brighton home.
They spoke at an inquest into the death of Caroline Forte, 35, a self-employed graphic designer who died at her home in Clifton Hill, Brighton, in February last year.
One of her older sisters Liz Forte, of Vallance Gardens Hove, said: “We have lost a vibrant, clever, kind, loving and very much adored member of our family and we are all heartbroken.”
She said that the family missed their youngest sister Caroline – who they called Caro – and did not want her life to be defined by the mental illness at its end.
The inquest is taking place at the Leonardo hotel, formerly the Jurys Inn, in Stroudley Road, by Brighton railway station.
The coroner, Penelope Schofield, said that a jury would be asked to reach a conclusion about how Caroline Forte died because she “died while subject to detention under the Mental Health Act”.
The inquest was told that her mental health started to suffer during the isolation of the coronavirus pandemic after she went through an “acrimonious break up” which “hit her hard”.
Her partner’s coffee shop had closed and, when the couple had to give up their home, they battled over custody of their dog Doris, adding to the stress.
Towards the end of 2021, her mental health worsened and Caroline spent time with her parents Anthony and Gillian and her siblings Liz and Chris.
She showed signs of psychosis and paranoia, believing that phones and computers had been hacked and were listening to her.
Early last year she went to stay with her other sister Sandie in Leeds and was admitted to St James’s University Hospital, known as Jimmy’s, having taken an overdose.
The inquest heard from two psychiatrists from Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust – Madlena Mladenova and Emi Obode.
Dr Mladenova said that at one point: “She was very distressed. She cried almost non-stop.”
The cause, she said, was the breakdown of her relationship and all that flowed from that, including selling the house and not having a permanent place to stay.
Caroline said that her previous anti-psychotic medication had worked better and she was given one that was expected to be better at stabilising her mood. She was also taking medicine to help her cope with her anxiety and depression.
Asked about the risk to Caroline, Dr Mladenova said that it was high and she had daily contact face to face. The risk – of self-harm – was later described raised to imminent.
Caroline was detained under section 2 of the Mental Health Act and later transferred to Amberley Ward, a psychiatric ward at Eastbourne District General Hospital.
The inquest jury was told that the family were not fully informed about Caroline’s care, treatment and the risks that she posed to herself.
Dana Ellis, for the Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The family may not have had full disclosure.
“All the records were sent to the coroner’s office in August but questions on behalf of the family suggest that not all those records have been passed to the family.”
The inquest jury was also told that Caroline was given “leave” to prepare her for being discharged including a home visit to stay with her parents in Clifton Hill last February.
Caroline’s mother Gillian said that she had not been given a copy of any risk assessment by the trust nor any strategies to minimise the risk of negative events or crises.
The morning after Caroline went to stay with her parents on a home visit, she was found dead.
The inquest continues.
