NSW man died four days after discharge

A coroner has found a third-year psychiatric registrar's decision to discharge a troubled Teralba man four days before he took his own life was ''reasonable and appropriate''.

Deputy State Coroner Robert Stone on Tuesday said Tyson Kane Matthews, 30, had been taken to Mater Mental Health Centre's Psychiatric Emergency Care Centre on November 3, 2013, after he attempted self-harm.

This was two days after Tyson's mother, Kerrie, had given him money to buy a few drinks to celebrate his 30th birthday with friends but he had bought the drug 'ice' instead.

''He (Tyson) told her (his mother) he did this to try to raise his mood, but it did not work,'' the coroner said in Newcastle.

''He spent the following days in a poor state mostly lying in his mother's lap.''

The coroner said Mr Matthews had been assessed for over an hour by the third-year registrar at PECC from about 6.50pm.

Mr Stone said the registrar recorded he denied any thoughts of self-harm or suicide at the time.

''She (the registrar) considered him to be at low risk of suicide.

''She recorded he had paranoid ideation, thinking that people would harm him because of his past but he had logical thought form and no problems with perception.''

The coroner said the registrar felt there were insufficient grounds to schedule Mr Matthews as an involuntary patient.

''She says she offered him voluntary admission but he declined.''

Tyson Matthews was discharged at 8.11pm.

He was found dead at his Teralba home, southwest of Newcastle, on November 7.

''No criticism is levelled at the doctor for not scheduling Tyson as a mentally ill or mentally disordered patient,'' Mr Stone said.

''In those circumstances, I find that her assessment of Tyson on the night was reasonable and appropriate, notwithstanding her use of the words 'low risk'.

''Ms Matthews did not consider her son to be a 'low risk' and from all of the evidence by the experts he wasn't, if you compared Tyson's risk of suicide to the risk of suicide in the general population.''

Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467.