Vegan diet may have triggered delusions which caused student to take her own life

The investigation concluded that a university student committed suicide after developing delusional beliefs resulting from a vitamin B12 deficiency resulting from a vegan diet.

Georgina Owen, 21, from Saffron Walden in Essex, went vegan in 2016 due to “environmental concerns”.

Cambridgeshire coroner Elizabeth Gray said in August 2019 Ms Owen’s family realized she had not taken B12 supplements for at least six months, but the student had forgotten.

He was due to return to Swansea University on 19 September 2019 but was found with a note at home. He was resuscitated and taken to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, but he died on 21 September.

Ms Gray told the written inquest on Monday that Ms Owen “informed her family that she had purchased an organic B12 supplement from Canada whose dosage was 1 mg once a day, oral spray”.

“Ms Owen’s family reported that Ms Owen exhibited unusual, erratic behavior in the period leading up to her death and have provided diaries written by Ms Owen, which they argue demonstrate her erratic behavior and deterioration in mental health in the period immediately preceding her death,” he said.

The coroner said a psychiatrist concluded that Ms Owen’s diary entries, examined on their own, did not provide evidence that she planned to end her life.

However, the psychiatrist said her last note “provided evidence of possible mental illness and, on the balance of probabilities, that Ms Owen was suffering from delusions at the time of writing this last note” and that “psychiatric symptoms resulting from vitamin B12 deficiency were recognised”.

The coroner said blood tests were “consistent with a vitamin B12 deficiency and this was probably due to Ms Owen’s vegan diet, which had continued for approximately three years.”

The coroner said in his conclusion: “Miss Owen died from a ligature that was self-inflicted around her neck while suffering from delusional beliefs caused by a vitamin B12 deficiency that developed as a direct result of her vegan diet.”

He said an expert report “concluded that the vague symptoms of cognitive impairment, anxiety, difficulty in making simple decisions and fatigue, as described by Ms. Owen’s family in the period before her death, were indicative of a progressive psychiatric disorder resulting in the delusional beliefs expressed in Ms. Owen’s last letter.”

He said Ms Owen, who began studying geography at Swansea University in the 2017-2018 academic year, was described by the university as “vibrant, enthusiastic, passionate and well-liked by her peers and lecturers”.

He was due to return to college on September 19, 2019, having been taken there by his mother, and had “planned to go surfing for 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 psychological problems that can range from mild depression or anxiety to confusion and dementia, as well as problems such as extreme fatigue, muscle weakness and vision and memory problems.

If you are experiencing feelings of distress or finding it difficult to cope, you can speak to Samaritans confidentially on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org or visit . Samaritans Website to find details of your nearest branch.

If you are a US resident and you or someone you know needs mental health help right now, call or text 988 or visit: 988lifeline.org To access online chat on the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a free, confidential crisis helpline available to anyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country you can go www.befrienders.org To find a helpline near you.