Still searching for answers on suicide

A year has passed since Rockingham man David Craig took his life while in the care of the Rockingham General Hospital mental health unit and his family and girlfriend are haunted by unanswered questions about his death.

The 34-year-old struggled with bipolar disorder for a decade and was admitted to the unit in April last year after family members became increasingly concerned about his state of mind.

Mr Craig was found unconscious in a bathroom at the hospital on April 8, after he had left the unit and returned with an item he used in an attempt to take his life.

He was taken to Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, where his family had to make the heartbreaking decision to remove his life support. He died on April 17.

Commemorating the one-year anniversary of Mr Craig's death, his loved ones have asked why it has taken so long to get answers about his final hours and why he was not under stricter supervision.

His mother Lynette Craig, who lives in Hopetown, claims she had contacted the hospital a number of times, requesting her son be secured, so he could not leave the facility until she could visit.

"I thought he would be safe there - I just don't understand why he was not secured," she said.

"If they had left him in the security section, things could have been different.

"I'm not saying the hospital is 100 per cent to blame, because I knew what my son was like, but they have got to take some of the blame - they've got to."

Mr Craig's girlfriend, Cara-Lee Atkins, said she had also contacted the hospital after Mr Craig phoned her from the unit and told her his suicidal thoughts. "They called me back and assured me that he wouldn't be able to harm himself at all in their care," she said.

"And then they called me three days later, saying it had happened.

"If we had known he wasn't going to get help, we would never have sent him there."

Mr Craig's sister Tanya Stanton said her little brother had a serious history of mental illness and the system had failed him.

"He had been trying to medicate and get it right over the years and it took its toll and he started doing drugs to self-medicate," she said.

Ms Stanton said the family had tried countless counsellors, psychiatrists and hospitals to try to have their brother admitted somewhere, but in most cases, he was sent home.

She said her brother had tried to take his life about five times, but each time he was released after claiming the incidents were "an accident".

"It is frustrating as family members because you are trying to help," Ms Stanton said.

"We would have paid anything to get him some help but the more people you ask, the less information you get."

Mr Craig's sister Tracy Tyler said she hoped sharing her brother's story would raise awareness of the inadequacies in the mental health system and force the State and Federal governments to offer more funding and support.

"We just don't want anyone else to go through what we have been through," she said.

A Rockingham General Hospital spokeswoman said comments could not be made on the incident.

The family is expecting a coroner's report into Mr Craig's death to be handed down in the coming weeks.

If you or someone you know is thinking of suicide, phone Lifeline on 13 11 14.