A university student took her own life after developing delusional beliefs stemming from a vitamin B12 deficiency caused by her vegan diet, an inquest concluded.
Georgina Owen, 21, from Saffron Walden in Essex, began a vegan diet in 2016 due to her environmental concerns. Cambridgeshire area coroner Elizabeth Gray noted that by August 2019, Ms Owen's family realised she had not taken her B12 supplements for at least six months, which the student said she had forgotten.
She was due to return to Swansea University on 19 September 2019 but was found at her home with a note. She was resuscitated and taken to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, where she died on 21 September.
Ms Gray said in a written inquest on Monday that Ms Owen had reported to her family that she had bought an organic B12 supplement from Canada, with a dosage of 1mg once per day as an oral spray. The family reported that Ms Owen had demonstrated unusual, erratic behaviour in the period leading up to her death, and they provided diaries written by Ms Owen which they suggested demonstrated her erratic behaviour and a deterioration in her mental health.
The coroner said that a psychiatrist concluded Ms Owen's diary entries viewed on their own do not provide evidence that she was planning to end her life. However, the psychiatrist said that her final note does provide evidence of a possible mental illness and that, on the balance of probabilities, at the time Ms Owen was writing this last note, she was experiencing delusions. Psychiatric manifestations caused by vitamin B12 deficiency are recognised.
Blood tests were found to be consistent with vitamin B12 deficiency, which likely resulted from Ms Owen's vegan diet of around three years duration, the coroner said. In her conclusion, the coroner stated: Ms Owen died from a self-inflicted ligature to her neck whilst, on the balance of probabilities, suffering delusional beliefs brought about by a vitamin B12 deficiency developed as a direct result of her vegan diet.
An expert report concluded that Ms Owen's vague signs of cognitive impairment, anxiety, difficulty with simple decision making, and fatigue as described by her family in the period before her death suggest a gradually developing psychiatric disorder culminating in the delusional beliefs expressed in her final letter.
Ms Owen, who started studying geography at Swansea University in the academic year 2017-2018, was described by the university as vibrant, full of enthusiasm, passionate, and well-liked by her peers and lecturers. She had been due to return to university on 19 September 2019, being driven there by her mother, and had made plans to go surfing over the weekend.
Vitamin B12 is found in meat, fish, eggs, dairy products, and specially fortified foods. The NHS website advises that a deficiency can lead to problems including psychological problems, which can range from mild depression or anxiety to confusion and dementia, as well as extreme tiredness, muscle weakness, and problems with vision and memory.
If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch. If you are based in the USA, call or text 988, or visit 988lifeline.org. For other countries, go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.
