A HEARTBROKEN mum has paid tribute to her "amazing, creative and individual" artist son who died after struggling with depression - and she is appealing to find his last pieces of artwork.

Popular art student Josef Thompson, 22, of Dalton, went missing from his home in Aigburth, Liverpool in November last year. A social media campaign was launched to help find the University of Huddersfield student, but two weeks later, on November 24 his body was found in Sefton Park woodland.

At an inquest last week, area coroner for Liverpool and Wirral Anita Bhardwaj concluded that Mr Thompson took his own life.

The hearing was told that Mr Thompson had depression and he was diagnosed with autism at 20. The inquest heard that Mr Thompson had 'fleeting thoughts' of suicide but no plans or attempts were recorded. He was prescribed anti-depressant medication with a planned review in 28 days. He was advised to attend the hospital accident and emergency crisis team if his condition worsened.

The coroner said Mr Thompson was found hanged in Sefton Park. A toxicology report showed he had prescribed anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medication in his system with traces of cannabinoids, which could have been from weeks before his death.

His family and friends are raising funds for the Young Minds Trust in memory of the talented artist and musician. So far, more than £2,744 has been raised to help improve the emotional wellbeing and mental health of children and young people.

Mr Thompson's mum, Claire Beach, plans to honour her son's creativity by making pieces of jewellery inspired by her son's artwork and in aid of the Young Minds Trust.

Mr Thompson is also to be honoured posthumously with a university award after completing two years of his fine art illustration degree.

Mrs Beach, 48, of Dalton, has most of her son's artwork but she is searching to find some of his last pieces. They are thought to have been taken by Mr Thompson to a shared studio, which he told people about and was somewhere near his home in Liverpool.

The pieces could include an eclectic mix from architectural pieces of churches and buildings, to sci-fi and Manga type character art.

Mrs Beach said: "Josef's style was very idiosyncratic and he was also a very good draughtsman.

"It felt really important to trace it (the artwork), because you are trying to gather up bits of his life because he was so young and left so little.

"From talking to other parents who have been bereaved by suicide, they talk of how little their children leave behind. Most people have clothes and a few knick-knacks; you rarely get something so personal. I'm so lucky because Josef was an artist and he drew prolifically. I know I have not got everything, but I have a lot and I'm really really grateful for that.

"I just needed to do that last little thing to find it. If it doesn't turn up I need to say 'okay I've done my best; this is what I have got; I've got my memories' then I'll need to draw a gentle line under it; it's another question I can not answer."

Mrs Beach said her son had plans to go on to study music. He was a drummer and he was into psytrance music.

Remembering her son, she said: "When I think of him it's always smiling and laughing. Sat on the sofa and laughing, he was impulsive, he was funny. He lived life how he wanted to live life. He was an individual and he used his creativity. He danced when he had the opportunity to dance.

"As a child he wanted the bright lights, he didn't want to sit still and stay in one place, he wanted to see it all and he did a lot, he just stopped too soon."

Mrs Beach said of the former Barrow Sixth Form College student, "he liked to be different; he stood out. He was a proper individual."

"He'd been through the goth stage then he was just him - hippy, psy, amazing, just himself; he just forged his own thing.

"Jo didn't tone down his life, he didn't tone down his make-up. He didn't wear much make-up at the end, it more about dressing up for the dance events with face paints and glitter."

Mrs Beach said in some ways he had probably done more than some people who get to their 70s.

She said: "He got out and about; he travelled to Germany, Ireland, Portugal, Belgium, Holland. He visited London a fair bit. He did quite a bit, but there was more still to do. He had plans for the summer, but it doesn't work out like that."

The mum said she was proud of both her sons for the way they have stood up for, and care for others.

In supporting Young Minds Trust, Mrs Beach said: "We felt quite strongly we needed to do more prevention and proactive stuff - the early intervention, things like anxiety - we want to catch those people who may go onto develop suicidal thoughts and stop it earlier."

Speaking about autism and mental illness Mrs Beach said: "With Josef, because he was diagnosed so late, a lot of things that were autism he would think was a mental illness and it was really difficult picking that apart.

"Autism affects the mental health and the mental health affects the autism. You can't treat one without looking at the other.

"You can only deal with what people tell you and there was so much he wasn't talking about, or maybe saying bits to different people, but no-one had the whole picture.

"Talking is really important. Talk about mental health. Don't make fun of it; it's never funny and take people seriously. If people talk about suicide take them seriously. If someone has the courage to talk about suicidal thoughts that is a massive thing to admit to someone."

Mrs Beach said, sadly, the sign can be so very subtle and there was no sudden swing with her son.

She said: "There needs to be professionals available when someone turns up at a doctors depressed and feeling suicidal, that person needs councilling and help beyond being prescribed a pill. I'm not blaming the GP, it's the lack of funding and the system, that is the bit that needs fixing, it's the funding."

The Justgiving page in memory of Mr Thompson is https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Kirsty-Mcmanus2

Anyone with information about Mr Thompson's missing art can contact Claire Beach through her Facebook page or by calling the Evening Mail on 01229 840190.

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