THE widow of a man who killed himself after suffering severe bouts of depression has called for more support for carers of mental health patients.

Andrea Wright, 47, spoke out after the inquest of her husband Jeremy Wright, where the coroner decided he had taken his own life.

Mr Wright was found hanged in Shotover Country Park, Oxford, on September 16 last year.

Following the inquest Mrs Wright, from Yarnton, called for an independent review of her husband’s care after it emerged that he had missed a number of appointments leading up to his death.

The mother-of-four said: “I felt a lot more time and effort should have been put into his care and that he should have been in hospital a lot more.”

She criticised the lack of support she was given during his illness and claimed that she was not offered respite.

She said: “It’s not just for my benefit but for all the other women out there. There has got to be more care for carers.”

Mrs Wright, who described her husband before his illness as “a fun-loving, generous, laid-back, gorgeous man”, said: “With a young family and high mortgage, it was just a little too much to take on.”

He could no longer work and his erratic spending forced the family – including daughters Amy, 13, Jessica, 11, Imogen, nine and Tallula, six – to move from Oxford to Yarnton in June 2007.

Mrs Wright claimed her husband of 15 years also became violent.

She said: “I had a black eye and he headbutted me in front of the children. It was then that I realised that it was far more serious.”

Mr Wright began suffering from bipolar affective disorder – which involves extreme mood swings – nine years ago while he was working as a marketing manager and studying for a masters degree at Warwick University.

In June 2008, Mrs Wright found her husband attempting suicide. She added: “There were times when it was like living with a stranger.”

An investigation at Warneford Hospital, in Headington, into Mr Wright’s treatment has now been completed.

However, the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust said it could not comment on its findings.

* For information about mental health services, call the Oxfordshire Mental Health Information helpline on 01865 247788, Monday to Friday.