A young man from Bury St Edmunds told a doctor he wanted to live the month before his death, a court heard.

The inquest into the death of Finley Clark has continued at Suffolk Coroners’ Court in Ipswich.

Mr Clark died at the age of 23 on November 13 last year, at the Bury St Edmunds home he shared with his partner. The couple had moved to the west Suffolk town in October.

Previously, the court had heard that Mr Clark had been struggling with alcohol and drug misuse.

On Tuesday, evidence was given by Dr Linda Mohammed, a general practitioner at the Cherry Hinton & Brookfields Medical Centre in Cambridge. 

Dr Mohammed explained to the court that her first contact with Mr Clark occurred on October 5, when he attended the surgery with cuts to his upper thighs.

Dr Mohammed asked how Mr Clark had become injured, and he said he had cut himself.

She said that he seemed to regret this and told her that he had a problem with alcohol.

He said that his upcoming house move was causing him stress, which had led him to cutting himself.

Mr Clark’s partner, Olivia Tindall, had called the surgery and told a receptionist that she felt her partner needed to be sectioned under the mental health act in order to keep him safe.

It was discussed during the inquest how clinicians assess whether a person has mental capacity to weigh up decisions about their healthcare, or else when they need to be sectioned for their own safety. 

Dr Mohammed explained that the decision to section someone may be made if they are displaying signs of psychosis, are unable to follow a conversation, or state that they intent to themselves.

However, Dr Mohammed said that during her consultation with Mr Clark, she found him to be “quite insightful” about his situation.

He was able to speak clearly and follow what she was saying, and said he intended to attend an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting that night, which she judged to be a positive decision.

When Dr Mohammed asked him if he planned to take his own life, she said Mr Clark replied instantly, “No, I want to live”.

She therefore wrote him a seven-day prescription for diazepam with a post-dated prescription for the following week. She explained that this was to ensure Mr Clark did not have access to a large number of pills, being mindful of his struggles with substance misuse.

Dr Mohammed explained that she intended for this to help keep Mr Clark calm during his house move, in the hope of avoiding another self-harm event. 

The inquest continues.