University of Surrey maths professor, 54, hanged himself at home while struggling to cope with WFH and being away from his students and peers
- University of Surrey Professor Stephen Gourley hanged himself an inquest heard
- He was pronounced dead at his home in Liss, Hampshire, on September 15, 2020
- His sister-in-law and a neighbour gained entry to his home and discovered him
- For confidential support, call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local Samaritans branch. See www.samaritans.org for details
A ‘much loved’ University of Surrey professor took his own life after struggling to cope with remote working and being away from his students and peers, an inquest has heard.
Professor Stephen Gourley, 54, had been forced to work from his home in Liss, Hampshire, because of the pandemic.
An inquest into his death heard from his brother who said he’d been struggling with the isolation and remote working caused by the coronavirus pandemic, but had not disclosed the extent of his struggles.
Speaking at Portsmouth Coroner’s Court yesterday, Mark Gourley said: ‘He [Prof. Gourley] had said that he was struggling with the whole remote working and coronavirus situation.
University of Surrey Professor Stephen Gourley, 54, (pictured) took his own life after struggling to cope with remote working and being away from his students and peers, an inquest has heard
‘Particularly from a work point of view, he set himself very high standards and perhaps he wasn’t able to meet those high standards.’
He added: ‘He was very conscious that [the pandemic] was affecting his ability to do his job.’
Professor Gourley was pronounced dead at his home on September 15, 2020 after his family had been unable to contact him.
His sister-in-law, Caroline, and a neighbour gained entry to the property at around 8.45pm and found him hanged.
Mark Gourley and his wife had also driven to the house that evening.
Senior coroner Christopher Wilkinson concluded that Prof. Gourley had intended to take his own life but said it wasn’t possible to know what was going through his mind at the time.
Mr Wilkinson also noted that Prof. Gourley was not known to any mental health services and his medical records had no reference to mental health problems.
According to the University of Surrey website, Prof. Gourley had worked in the Department of Mathematics at the Guildford campus for 27 years.
He joined after gaining an MA in Mathematics from Oxford University and then completed his PhD in Bath in 1993, beginning his career as a lecturer at Surrey that same year.
The inquest heard that Prof. Gourley was a hugely respected and popular member of the team at the university, and was held in high regard by both his colleagues and his students for his talent and skill and humorous, personable character.
An inquest into his death at Portsmouth Coroner’s Court heard from his brother who said he’d been struggling with the isolation and remote working caused by the coronavirus pandemic, but had not disclosed the extent of his struggles. Pictured: The University of Surrey, where Professor Gourley had worked
At the hearing, Professor Tom Bridges, a colleague of Prof. Gourley’s in the Maths department, said: ‘I have the greatest respect for him, and I think the hardest part for me to understand is how we missed some of the issues.’
Professor Bridges also described his colleague as ‘internationally known for his success in his work’.
Speaking at the inquest, Mr Wilkinson noted that Professor Gourley missed the ‘genuine buzz’ of being around his peers and students during the pandemic.
He said: ‘Once you have been involved in, particularly, a university life where you are surrounded by individuals, to have that pulled away from you becomes very difficult.’
He added: ‘We have heard Professor Gourley described as a leader in his field.
‘Not only a well respected professor but a well respected lecturer and a very much loved part of the academic community at the University of Surrey, and clearly a very loved, respected and cared for member of the Gourley family who is very clearly missed.’
A conclusion of suicide was recorded by the coroner. Mark Gourley passed his thanks on to the court for its support and compassion, and to the university for its support since his brother’s death.
For confidential support, call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local Samaritans branch. See www.samaritans.org for details.
How has lockdown affected depression rates in Britain?
Last year, Government research found that depression rates in Britain had doubled between the start of the pandemic and August 2020.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) found 9.7 per cent of adults had some sort of depression between July 2019 and March 2020.
But when the same group of people was assessed again in June, the figure had risen to 19.2 per cent — almost one in five.
The data showed young women were affected most by the virus and the government’s coronavirus-controlling lockdown.
Statisticians also found depression rates soared among Britons ‘unable to afford an unexpected expense’ and the disabled.
The ONS research examined answers from the same 3,500 British adults both before and during the pandemic.
Researchers also examined the levels of depression — which are classified as mild, moderate or severe.
One in eight adults developed moderate to severe depressive symptoms during the pandemic, while the others were already affected.
Eighty-four per cent of people experiencing some sort of depression cited stress and anxiety affecting their wellbeing.
And 42 per cent said their relationships had been affected.
Of those experiencing moderate to severe depressive symptoms in the pandemic, 62 per cent said they felt lonely ‘often or always’.
In comparison, the rate was four times lower (15 per cent) for those with no or mild depressive symptoms.
Just 3.5 per cent of Britons saw an improvement in their symptoms during the same period, according to the data.
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