AN AUTISTIC York man’s addiction to social media sent him into a spiral of decline which eventually led to his suicide, his parents have claimed.

Anne and Mark Braithwaite, speaking after a coroner concluded that their 20-year-old son Jake had taken his own life, said he had been an independent and healthy young man before buying an iPad in October 2017 and creating accounts including Facebook to try to make friends.

They told The Press that as a working young man, who had to get up early and work long hours, Jake became withdrawn and exhausted, and they believed this had been a contributory factor in his subsequent depression and anxiety.

The couple, who run the Braithwaite Gallery in Low Petergate, said he became unable to disconnect from the virtual world to the “point of obsession”.

Mrs Braithwaite told the inquest how social media had affected Jake’s sleep and his emotions, and she said later: “No matter how we tried to restrict the hours of his access to this online social world, he would find a way around it, getting little or no sleep, and becoming completely emotionally overwhelmed.

“He began having constant headaches, dissociative episodes and fits of shaking.

“His ensuing rapid decline from an independent, healthy, successful young man to the gaunt, depressed suicidal lad he became we attribute to his engagement with the digital world and social media. Within six months he was dead.”

Mrs Braithwaite said that when Jake was younger, she and her husband had always restricted or carefully monitored his access to the internet, digital games and social media, because he was too vulnerable for some of the hurtful comments online, and because he found it difficult to disengage with the virtual world.

“Interpreting what’s real, and not real, is difficult for most people - autistic people see things in black and white,” she said, adding that imposing such restrictions became much more difficult when Jake became an adult.

A Facebook spokesperson said it cared deeply about the wellbeing of people who used Facebook and its thoughts went out to those who had been affected by these kinds of issues.

“We recognise that mental health is a complex and nuanced issue, which is why we work with experts – including The Samaritans in the UK – to guide us on our approach,” they said.

“We’re working with independent companies, policy makers, and experts to get a better understanding of the relationship between technology and well-being, which reinforces the need for more research.

“We also devote significant resources into developing technology which has helped first responders reach around 3,500 people globally who have needed help.”

Tim Nicholls, head of policy at the National Autistic Society, said: “We know that for many autistic people social media is an important and positive part of their lives.

“As for everyone, it can connect them with other communities and open up their worlds.

“However, as this and other recent tragic cases have demonstrated, there are risks and dangers online.

“ It’s essential that social media platforms do all they can to minimise these risks - and also that vulnerable young autistic people have access to the right support to keep them safe and well on and offline.

“Recent research suggests that suicide is one of the leading causes of early death for autistic people without a learning disability.

“As the inquest from this very sad case also highlights, if we’re to change this shocking situation, potentially vulnerable autistic people need mental health support from professionals who understand autism.”

*Samaritans can be contacted for free on 116 123. The NHS 24/7 crisis service in York is on 01904 526582. If somebody is at serious risk of harm you should call 999. York Mind offers support on 01904 643364.

Mental health chiefs improve care after autistic man's death

MENTAL health chiefs have taken action to ensure patients with autism receive better care since an autistic York man took his own life last year, an inquest heard.

Managers from Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust conceded there were shortcomings in the care and support given to 20-year-old Jake Braithwaite in the months before his death last May.

They said too many different members of staff were involved in Jake’s care and communications between different departments and sections were not good enough.

They revealed that after a ‘serious incident review’ examined what happened, an action plan was drawn up to improve staff training across the trust to ensure a better understanding of the condition.

They also said an initial plan of care was now drawn up within 72 hours of a patient being referred to its crisis or home based treatment services.

Jake’s mother Anne Braithwaite said there were gaps in understanding of the needs of people with autism by adult mental health services staff but she wasn’t looking to assign blame to anyone.

“We hope to use our unique perspective and lived experience to work with the NHS to change perception and understanding of the needs of those with an autistic condition in mental health crisis,” she said.

“Perhaps Jake’s legacy is to ‘make a difference’ in this way and prevent future tragedy.”

David Brown, director of operations for the trust, told The Press that the thoughts of staff were with Jake’s family and friends at this difficult time.

He said the trust had taken on board the findings of the serious incident review report and a number of measures were now in place to fulfil the recommended actions.

“We will continue to monitor our services to ensure that these actions are working effectively,” he said.

A spokeswoman said training had been developed for use across the whole trust on understanding autism, and relevant staff in the York area had undertaken these sessions.

She said that since June 2018, ‘72 hour formulation meetings’ had been introduced for all individuals accessing the trust’s home based treatment or crisis services.

“This is an initial planning meeting bringing together all the services involved with the individual,”she said.

“It ensures all necessary information has been or will be gathered and that everyone is clear on the initial plan of care.”

She said ‘interface’ meetings had been introduced, bringing together the teams in contact with the individual and any other relevant services on a regular basis. “This helps to ensure any individual needs or risks are identified as early as possible, that learning and information is shared appropriately and that the most appropriate care package is put in place.”

Mrs Braithwaite paid an emotional tribute to her son at the inquest, saying he was a “big, kind-hearted lad with a loud laugh and an amazing, genuine smile”.

She said: “He was gifted at making things and had a creative imagination and talent in that direction.

“He loved the outdoors and was never more happy than going out and getting covered in mud.”

She said that in July 2017, Jake went to Norway on his own, having never even flown from an international airport before. “We were so, so proud of the independent young man he was becoming.”

She added that Jake felt other people’s pain keenly and would try to fix things for them.