A MOTHER whose 21-year-old son took his own life while at university in Aberystwyth is campaigning for greater awareness of mental health issues.

It was reported in the Cambrian News that Heidi Moulton, whose son Stefan Osgood was found dead from self-inflicted wounds at his Penglais Farm halls of residence in March, had claimed her son was let down by mental health services and the university.

In a further interview with the Cambrian News, Mrs Moulton described the pain of losing her son at such a young age, and spoke of the campaign launched by Aberystwyth Students’ Union to raise mental health awareness among students.

“It has been relentlessly horrendous,” said Mrs Moulton, who is a high school biology teacher from Wallasey, Merseyside. “We are absolutely devastated.

“He came home at Christmas, and he was in good spirits. We believe he had made his mind up at this point, and he was just putting his house in order.

“I have learnt so much about suicide since Stefan’s death. For example, if you are having ideation of suicide and your serotonin levels are raised, likely due to drugs prescribed, you are more likely to go out and take your own life.

“Whereas if your serotonin levels are low, you are less likely to do anything because you feel too low to do anything about it — you can’t be bothered.”

Mrs Moulton said the Student Union’s campaign, called #stefansSocks because Stefan would always wear one pink sock while competing, is about making students more confident to talk about their mental health.

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