THE death of a York social worker who took a drug overdose was suicide, an inquest heard.

Samantha Johnson, 36, was discovered by her lodger at her home in Magnolia Grove, New Earswick, on September 10 last year. She was lying face down on the living room floor surrounded by anti-depressant tablets and in the kitchen police found a suicide note addressed to her husband, Steve.

Mr Johnson, who was married to Mrs Johnson for six years, had been separated from his wife, but said they were in the process of getting back together. She had suffered from depression ever since her twin sons died shortly after their birth about eight years earlier.

Mrs Johnson's lodger and colleague, Susan Turner, of Appleton Roebuck, said she had never been given any indication that Mrs Johnson would harm herself. She last spoke to Mrs Johnson, who was off work with stress at the time of her death, three days before finding her body.

A post-mortem examination showed she died of a high overdose of tricyclic anti-depressants.

York Coroner Donald Coverdale recorded a verdict of suicide.

He said: "Clearly a number of things had saddened her as reflected in the note that she left."

Updated: 10:51 Thursday, July 31, 2003