A PR manager for the Israel Government Tourist Office killed herself after she was told she faced redundancy, a coroner ruled on Wednesday
Melissa Ramsden, 37, was found on December 22 last year, slumped by the side of her bed, by a friend who came to feed her cat.
She had taken a large quantity of pills earlier that day.
Westminster Coroner’s Court heard that Ms Ramsden had been told that her position as PR manager at the IGTO was no longer required.
Earlier in the year, she had made a formal complaint at work against her boss that was being investigated at the time of her death.
“Please do not resuscitate, please do not keep me in a coma, or handicapped” — Melissa Ramsden
Ms Ramsden had suffered for many years with anxiety and had previously dealt with addictions to alcohol, cannabis and crack cocaine.
She also suffered from bulimia in the past and had been diagnosed with a mild personality disorder.
Ms Ramsden had not drunk alcohol since 2005 and had not taken drugs since 2007. Only days before her death, doctors and friends remarked that she was doing well.
However, she left a note at her flat in Maida Vale, north-west London, which said: “I don’t have the energy to carry on.
“I have run out of any energy. My life seems to just exist from one mess to the next. Thank you to everyone who has tried to make my life better. To all those at work who bullied me, I hope those people get what they deserve through Karma.”
She signed the note “love Melissa” and left a second which read: “Please do not resuscitate, please do not keep me in a coma, or handicapped in anyway.”
In a statement from the IGTO, Elie Lifshitz confirmed that her position of PR manager was no longer required and that she was in the process of handing over her work.
“On August 1 she was in-formed that the position of PR manager would no longer exist, as part of a restructuring programme,” the statement read.
“She was being considered for other positions but was deemed not to have suitable experience. On August 5, she made formal allegations against her manager.
“An investigation into these was under way but the conclusions had not yet been reached.”
Recording a verdict of suicide, coroner, Dr Fiona Wilcox said: “Her actions appear to have been clear and considered. She considered what she was doing and intended to take her own life.”
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