Bipolar man, 34, with diabetes killed himself after being pushed over the edge due to loneliness when he was forced to self-isolate during coronavirus, family say
- Daniel Furniss, 34, lived by himself in Crookhorn, near Portsmouth, Hampshire
- The ‘big kid’ who was a ‘joy to everyone’ struggled with the lack of contact
- Sister Chelsea Furniss said advice for mental health patients needs to be clearer
An extroverted man with bipolar disorder has killed himself in isolation after loneliness ‘pushed him over the edge’.
Daniel Furniss, 34, lived by himself in Crookhorn, near Portsmouth, and stayed indoors as his diabetes made him particularly vulnerable to coronavirus.
But the outgoing ‘big kid’ who was a ‘joy to everyone’ struggled with the lack of contact and sadly took his own life, according to his distraught family.
Sister Chelsea Furniss, 28, is now calling on health authorities to urgently ratchet up support for those suffering mental health issues during the lockdown.
Daniel Furniss, 34, lived by himself in Crookhorn, near Portsmouth, and stayed indoors as his diabetes made him particularly vulnerable to coronavirus
Sister Chelsea Furniss (left), 28, is now calling on health authorities to urgently ratchet up support for those suffering mental health issues during the lockdown
Fondly remembering her brother, who was ‘loved and adored by so many people,’ she said: ‘He would always dress very bright and colourful – you couldn’t miss him.
‘Dan brought a lot of joy to everyone’s lives. Although he was aged 34 he was just a big kid at heart.’
But she said her brother, who has battled with bipolar disorder since his teenage years, struggled with loneliness during the lockdown, despite his family’s best efforts to stay in touch.
Miss Furniss added: ‘Dan had a long history of mental health issues and one of the things he struggled with was being on his own.
‘He lived on his own but would go out every day. Dan had diabetes and was classed as a high risk person so after lockdown he was unable to go out which we think pushed him over the edge.
The outgoing ‘big kid’ who was a ‘joy to everyone’ struggled with the lack of contact and sadly took his own life, according to his distraught family
‘We were concerned about him being in isolation and stayed in touch but were not able to see him.
‘There is not enough guidance for people with mental health issues.
‘More could be done to help people who are struggling while self-isolating. Hopefully what’s happened with Dan can raise awareness of these issues.’
Ms Furniss also said her family is ‘completely overwhelmed and touched by people’s generosity especially at a time of such difficulty’ after a GoFundMe raised nearly £2,000 for his funeral.
However, only his parents and four siblings will be able to attend the funeral because of restrictions due to the lockdown.
A Department of Health source pointed to their advice to help people’s mental health during isolation.
It includes talking to family and friends on social media, taking regular exercise and using the NHS helpline.
For confidential support, call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local Samaritans branch. See www.samaritans.org for details