Drake Circus
Tributes to 'gifted' man who died in Drake Circus car park mystery
The Plymouth College of Art says it is 'deeply saddened' by the death of 31-year-old Aaron Watterson
Stuart AbelCourt Reporter
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Tributes have been paid to the student who plunged to his death from the top floor of the Drake Circus car park – as mystery continues to surround the tragedy.
Aaron Watterson, aged 31, climbed a 6ft high safety barrier at the top of the five-storey mall car park, an inquest heard yesterday.
The Plymouth College of Art student plummeted to his death in the street below but a police investigation has been unable to uncover the reason for his action.
A college spokesman today said: "We are deeply saddened by the loss of a gifted and creative young man and member of the college community.
"Aaron was in the second year of a four-year Extended Degree in BA (Hons) Fine Art."
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Police and paramedics outside Drake Circus (Image: Andy James)
Mr Watterson called his girlfriend's mother minutes before his death at about 5.45pm on Saturday February 24.
He said he was "about to do something stupid", but then hung up before she could find out more.
DC Sara Thorn, who investigated the tragedy for the Plymouth coroner, said the tragedy came "a little bit out of the blue".
Further tributes have been paid online following the hearing at Derriford.
Bev White said on Plymouth Live's Facebook page: "This is such a tragedy, such a lovely funny man, loved every minute I worked with him. My heart breaks for the ones he left behind xxx."
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A message on one bouquet left for Aaron Watterson who died at Drake Circus. This image has been altered to remove the man's name.
Tracey Burton added: "Tragic, such a great guy, sleep tight Aaron."
The inquest heard that Drake Circus security guards spotted Mr Watterson riding up the car park ramps on his BMX.
He then left his bicycle propped up against a wall and climbed over the safety barrier before staff could intervene.
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Plymouth Coroner Ian Arrow concluded the inquest : "I am satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that he died as a result of his own actions. I am satisfied he has climbed over the safety barrier and fallen to his death below."
Where to find help
These local organisations offer help and support to those suffering with mental illness
Mind Plymouth
Livewell Southwest
The Samaritans
Blurt it Out
Plymouth Options (IAPT) Anxiety & Depression Service (Livewell South West)
Depression is a mental illness. According to the World Health Organisation, it's the leading cause of ill health and disability right now.
It's much more common than you might think too, and it's on the rise; more than 300 million people globally are now living with depression, an increase of more than 18% between 2005 and 2015.
As with other mental illnesses, depression is steeped in stigma: the stigma means that those of us who are struggling often find it difficult to reach out and get help.
They're too scared to talk about what's going on for them for fear of discrimination. Yet sometimes simply talking can be life-saving.
The stigma also means that people are often scared and disengaged with mental health problems, they think they've never interacted with someone who is struggling and that it will never happen to them.
The truth is, it affects us all. We interact with people with mental health difficulties every day – they're our families, our friends, and our colleagues.
The symptoms of depression
Depression is more than simply a low mood: it causes mental anguish, impacts on our ability to carry out even the simplest everyday tasks, and can cause us to function poorly in work, education and socially.
At worst, depression can lead to suicide, now the second leading cause of death among 15 to 29-year-olds.
The symptoms of depression develop gradually and affect different people in different ways. Some of the symptoms your friend/loved one might be struggling with are:
No hope
Loss in interest in things you usually enjoy
Change in appetite (over eating or no interest in food)
No energy
Change in sleeping habits (over sleeping or not getting any sleep)
Low tolerance
Crying for no apparent reason
Avoiding contact with friends and family
Lack of interest in sex
Finding difficulties at work
Thoughts of harming themselves
12 myths about depression
1. Depression is a choice
Commonly presented as: "You can't just cry when I feel like it, you have to learn to control it"
"You have a choice, just choose to be happy" "Just don't be depressed? It's not that hard?"
Fact: Depression is not a choice. It is a real illness with real symptoms. We don't want to be depressed, and are unable to choose to be happy (as much as we might wish we could!).
2. There is a reason why someone is depressed
Commonly presented as: "Why are you depressed?"
"You've got a roof over your head and a loving family and great friends, you have nothing to be depressed about."
"You've just got a lot going on, when things settle you'll feel better."
Fact: There is no 'one' single known cause for depression. It is thought that stressful life events, family history, personality, loneliness, alcohol or drug use, and illness could all contribute to it; often it will be a combination of factors.
We may not know exactly what has caused our illness – it's something that can take a lot of hard work and support to figure out and work through.
3. Other people have it worse, so you can't have depression
Commonly presented as: "Think of the refugees fleeing Syria, they're far worse off than you"
"People have it so much harder than you, be grateful; you'll feel better when you realise what you have"
Fact: Someone else's suffering doesn't alleviate or invalidate our suffering. Our pain cannot be turned off with a switch.
4. Your fashion choices dictate whether of not you can be depressed
Commonly presented as: "You dress too well to be depressed."
"You look like you're out of a fashion magazine so you must be doing well."
"You present yourself very well for someone who claims to be depressed."
Fact: People with depression wear all sorts of different clothes. Just like the rest of the population, we will sometimes have pyjama days, sometimes live in jeans, and sometimes dress up to go out for the evening. Our illness doesn't dictate the clothes we are allowed to wear, and the clothes we wear don't show how ill we are.
5. It's immediately obvious when someone has depression
Commonly presented as: "But you're such a positive person and always smiling!"
"How can you be depressed when you make jokes all the time?"
"You don't look ill, you look fine to me"
Fact: People with depression look just like anyone else. We don't have a special "look" or way of acting. We can smile, laugh, wear make-up, use public transport, do a weekly food shop – we present just as people without depression do.
6. Medication is a magic fix, or shouldn't be used at all
Commonly presented as: " You're taking pills so you should be fine now."
"You are hooked on antidepressants, why don't you come off them"
"Medication doesn't work at all"
Fact: Medication is a tool that can be used to help manage depression. For some of us it's helpful, for others it isn't. Often we will need some form of talking therapy alongside our medication.
Some of us might choose not to take medication at all and prefer alternative treatments, but the choice of whether to take medication should be down to the individual, and nobody should be shamed for their decision.
7. Fresh air and exercise cure depression
Commonly presented as: "Get some exercise; go for a walk, it will clear your head."
"How can you be depressed on such a beautiful day?"
Fact: Nature can help when we have depression. So can exercise. However neither are a magic cure, and everyone is unique, so something that might really help one person, might not help another at all.
8. There is a simple "fix"
Commonly presented as: "It's because you're not busy enough!
'"Drink lemon water"
"Have you tried baking a cake?"
Fact: As much as baking a cake is a lovely idea, and might be a nice way to spend an afternoon, it's unlikely to cure depression.
There are many things that could help depression, such as talking therapies, medication, or time, but there is no magic cure and different people will need different treatments at different levels.
9. A relationship will cure depression, so will being single
Commonly presented as: "You need a get a boyfriend, that'll make you happy."
"You're engaged, you should be happy."
"You're single you have no husband, kids and mortgage to worry about."
Fact: People in relationships can be incredibly supportive of one another, which could help with alleviating certain depressive symptoms, but depression doesn't only affect single people, or only target people in relationships.
10. You can't be depressed if you're young or if you're old
Commonly presented as: "You're too young to know what mental illness is, let alone have it."
"We didn't have therapy in my day, talking is for your generation."
"You're too old for this."
Fact: Depression can happen to anyone at any age. Around 1.4% of 11-16 year olds are seriously depressed, as are around 2% of adults aged 75+ have diagnosed depression.
11. If you have depression, you can't have any friends
Commonly presented as: "How can you be depressed when you have so many lovely friends?"
"How can you be depressed when you're so sociable and extroverted?"
Fact: It can be much harder to maintain friendships when we have depression, because it can result in lack of energy, and also in memory problems which can mean that we sometimes forget to reply to texts or messages, but that doesn't mean that having depression and having friends are mutually exclusive; friends can be incredibly important in helping us to stumble our way through depression.
12. If you have depression, you're selfish, ungrateful of attention seeking
Commonly presented as: "You're being ungrateful"
"Just stop being so selfish and you might feel better."
"I bet you're just pretending for attention"
Fact: People with depression may well ask for help, but that doesn't mean that they're attention seeking – they're usually care seeking. We may sometimes come across as being selfish or ungrateful, but that's likely to be our illness, not us.
Information and advice supplied by Blurt It Out .
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