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Mourning father tells how son descended into mental illness after cannabis use
Former public schoolboy James Herbert, 25, started smoking cannabis as a teenager and also took cocaine, ketamine, ecstasy and LSD.
After turning 18 he got involved in the rave scene and then later started taking "legal highs".
Mr Herbert died two years ago after being detained under the Mental Health Act by police in Somerset.
He was seen acting strangely in Bath Road, Wells, on June 10, 2010 and was restrained by police and placed in the back of a patrol van.
East Somerset Coroner's Court heard that Mr Herbert was taken to Yeovil police station to be assessed by doctors.
He was placed in a police cell and was discovered not to be breathing and taken to hospital where he was declared dead.
Mr Herbert's father, Tony, a company director, told the inquest of his son's descent into mental illness.
"James started smoking cannabis when he was 15 or 16 years old and subsequently took ecstasy,
ketamine and cocaine, as well as occasional use of LSD," Mr Herbert, who is divorced from his son's mother Barbara Montgomery, said.
"We counselled James away from his use of drugs.
"I worried about the long term effect on his mental health."
Mr Herbert, from Coventry, West Midlands, told the jury inquest how his son had been asked to leave his school - the private St Christopher School in Letchworth, Herts - after his GCSEs following an incident with drugs.
"James had been attending a progressive private school and I believe at the school at the time a significant number of students involved in recreational drugs," he said.
"James was asked to leave St Christopher after his GCSEs in 2001.
"It seemed to me his openness and honesty were mostly to blame for what I still consider a damaging and unfair decision to exclude him.
After turning 18 and passing his driving test, Mr Herbert joined the rave scene.
"James enjoyed the rave party culture and he started spending many of his weekends at these raves," Mr Herbert said.
"James would talk very openly and honestly to me about what was going on in his life.
"He enjoyed using drugs both as they helped him overcome his natural shyness and social reluctance but also because he felt his mind was expanding.
"He also told me of having a very serious cocaine binge at home in Letchworth
"He suddenly experienced the anxiety and paranoia of being 'psychedelically attacked' by specific people.
"He would not accept this was a result of the drugs he had taken."
Mr Herbert stressed that his son was never violent towards others.
"With hindsight I am pretty sure that James's mental illness had started in late 2005 possibly as a result of his cocaine use," he said.
"Although he never articulated that drugs were the cause of his problems he did say that he could not fight off the psychic attacks on him if he was under the influence of drugs.
"James regretted the amount and frequency of his cannabis use when he was younger and said it had made him apathetic and susceptible to psychic attacks.
Cont -
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/h...d-into-mental-illness-after-cannabis-use.html
Former public schoolboy James Herbert, 25, started smoking cannabis as a teenager and also took cocaine, ketamine, ecstasy and LSD.
After turning 18 he got involved in the rave scene and then later started taking "legal highs".
Mr Herbert died two years ago after being detained under the Mental Health Act by police in Somerset.
He was seen acting strangely in Bath Road, Wells, on June 10, 2010 and was restrained by police and placed in the back of a patrol van.
East Somerset Coroner's Court heard that Mr Herbert was taken to Yeovil police station to be assessed by doctors.
He was placed in a police cell and was discovered not to be breathing and taken to hospital where he was declared dead.
Mr Herbert's father, Tony, a company director, told the inquest of his son's descent into mental illness.
"James started smoking cannabis when he was 15 or 16 years old and subsequently took ecstasy,
ketamine and cocaine, as well as occasional use of LSD," Mr Herbert, who is divorced from his son's mother Barbara Montgomery, said.
"We counselled James away from his use of drugs.
"I worried about the long term effect on his mental health."
Mr Herbert, from Coventry, West Midlands, told the jury inquest how his son had been asked to leave his school - the private St Christopher School in Letchworth, Herts - after his GCSEs following an incident with drugs.
"James had been attending a progressive private school and I believe at the school at the time a significant number of students involved in recreational drugs," he said.
"James was asked to leave St Christopher after his GCSEs in 2001.
"It seemed to me his openness and honesty were mostly to blame for what I still consider a damaging and unfair decision to exclude him.
After turning 18 and passing his driving test, Mr Herbert joined the rave scene.
"James enjoyed the rave party culture and he started spending many of his weekends at these raves," Mr Herbert said.
"James would talk very openly and honestly to me about what was going on in his life.
"He enjoyed using drugs both as they helped him overcome his natural shyness and social reluctance but also because he felt his mind was expanding.
"He also told me of having a very serious cocaine binge at home in Letchworth
"He suddenly experienced the anxiety and paranoia of being 'psychedelically attacked' by specific people.
"He would not accept this was a result of the drugs he had taken."
Mr Herbert stressed that his son was never violent towards others.
"With hindsight I am pretty sure that James's mental illness had started in late 2005 possibly as a result of his cocaine use," he said.
"Although he never articulated that drugs were the cause of his problems he did say that he could not fight off the psychic attacks on him if he was under the influence of drugs.
"James regretted the amount and frequency of his cannabis use when he was younger and said it had made him apathetic and susceptible to psychic attacks.
Cont -
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/h...d-into-mental-illness-after-cannabis-use.html
