A 39-YEAR-OLD man who suffered from 'significant mental health issues' after returning home to Kendal from travelling in Asia died from taking a fatal overdose of prescription drugs, an inquest has found.

Jonathan Richard Mason, 39, died on March 12, 2022, at his home on Grasmere Crescent after being found unresponsive in his bedroom by his mother Susan.

In a statement submitted to the Coroner's Court at Cockermouth, his mother said Mr Mason had lived his whole life in Kendal at the same address and had attended Castle Park Primary School followed by Queen Katherine School.

He left school at 16 before attending Kendal College, and in 2005, was awarded a degree in Physical Education from Leeds Metropolitan University.

Mr Mason had been prescribed the anti-depressant and anti-psychotic medication after returning home in 2019 from travelling in Thailand and China where he taught English as a foreign language.

She said after an initial stint of travelling in Thailand, Mr Mason 'returned home suddenly', without going into any detail as to why, before returning to China to complete his travelling.

Susan Mason said on his return from China in 2019 he seemed 'completely different', rarely leaving home, only to go fishing with his father, and reporting hearing voices, frequently believing he was being followed by 'people from Thailand'.

A report from Mr Mason's GP said that while in China he had received treatment in a hospital for Sarcoidosis, a lung condition that was treated with steroids that had made him 'psychiatrically unwell.

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The report said: "It is well recognised that steroids given in high doses are well capable of triggering psychiatric symptoms of paranoia or psychosis."

Mr Mason first engaged with mental health services in June 2019, and despite reporting periods of improvement, was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in June 2021.

Lancashire and South Cumbria mental health services reported Mr Mason's preferred method of contact was by telephone rather than face to face, and eight days before his death, had given no cause for concern.

Dr Shaw concluded from toxicology reports showing fatal levels of the drugs, along with suicide notes later found in his bedroom, that Mr Mason intended to take his own life.