A “withdrawn and quiet” High Wycombe man was found dead at his home after sending a letter to a mental health nurse and his GP surgery to say he had “had enough of living”, an inquest heard.

Rory Davies, 44, had addressed one of the letters to his care co-ordinator Nyeverai Mafunu at the Valley Centre in Gordon Road, which houses the adult mental health team, saying that by the time the note was opened, he would have already passed away.

The letter, which was posted using a second-class stamp, arrived for Mr Mafunu on January 18, and after phoning him and calling at his home in Buckingham Close to check on Mr Davies’ welfare, the nurse phoned 101 to request police attend and carry out a welfare check.

When police managed to get into Mr Davies’ home at around 1.50pm, they found his body in a bedroom.

He had taken a fatal overdose of quetiapine, an antipsychotic drug used to treat schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder.

Mr Davies, who was unemployed, had suffered with schizophrenia and in meetings with Mr Mafunu, who he had been in contact with for around three months, had reported hearing voices – although he could not “pick up” what they were saying.

In a statement read out at Buckinghamshire Coroner’s Court in Beaconsfield on Tuesday, Mr Mafunu said that due to his schizophrenia, he was deemed to be more of a risk to others than himself, and there had been no indication Mr Davies may take his own life.

The last time the pair had spoken, on January 16, Mr Davies mentioned how one of his benefits had been stopped and Mr Mafunu had arranged an appointment with a housing officer to sort it out.

The nurse said Mr Davies had seemed “happy with that”, but just two days later, he received the letter which caused him “great concern”.

In a statement, Mr Davies’ neighbour, Helen Hogan, said they had lived next door to each other for at least 10 years and she had seen him in the afternoon on January 17, the day before his body was found.

She said: “I didn’t know him well but we would say hello and have small conversations. He was a very considerate neighbour. I wouldn’t describe him as social or outgoing. He didn’t have many visitors.

“I am sad he has passed away – he seemed like a nice person.”

The official cause of Mr Davies’ death was quetiapine toxicity and senior coroner for Bucks, Crispin Butler, ruled that his death was suicide.

Mr Butler said: “He wrote two very specific letters which confirmed his intentions. He would have already been deceased when the letters were received. It is very clear that suicide was what was intended.”

For confidential support in the UK, call the Samaritans on 116123, email jo@samaritans.org or visit a local Samaritans branch. See samaritans.org for more details.