A WOMAN who had struggled with depression took her own life, a coroner has ruled.

Irka Sheppard, known as Irene, who had been attending the Acute Day Hospital, a service provided by Oxfordshire Mental Health Trust, hung herself, an inquest heard.

Marian Smith, a register mental health nurse for the community acute service and specialist Dr William Sony, were among those who treated her. They appeared as witnesses on Wednesday.

Mrs Sheppard had showed signs of anxiety, agitation and spoken of a feeling of helplessness in assessments earlier this year, they told the hearing.

Mrs Sheppard, who did voluntary work as a bereavement counsellor, had demonstrated low self esteem and spoken of suicidal thoughts but said she had not got an active plan to take her own life and indeed it went against her own ethics to do so, the medical professionals explained.

A professional who worked with her at the ADH said she had engaged fully with activities and other patients.

But on July 9, her husband, Robert Sheppard, returned home after a trip to the gym, to discover she had hung herself.

Coroner Richard Hulett recorded a verdict that she took her own life.

He said: "People's perceptions may have been different from time to time but there's no doubt she received a lot of attention and a lot of care. It's unfortunate that at the end of the day it didn't make much difference to her overall state."