An 82-year-old grandmother hanged herself at her East Malling home just months after being taken off anti-depressants.

Madeline Edy – who lived in Lavender Walk for 58 years – was found in her utility room by her daughter, two days after she had last been visited by her family.

An inquest at Archbishop’s Palace in Maidstone on Tuesday heard Mrs Edy, a widow who lived alone, had been struggling with depression for several years, and had attempted to take an overdose three years previously.

She also suffered from type-2 diabetes and kidney disease, and feared she was experiencing the early stages of dementia.

But in February her doctor took her off anti-depressant medication, due to concerns that prolonged use had contributed to a heart condition.

She died four months later, on June 22.

When Mrs Edy’s family last visited her, two days before her death, they described her as fit and healthy and said they had no concerns about her state of mind.

Senior coroner for mid-Kent and Medway Patricia Harding, said: “There is no evidence such as a suicide note or indication she was depressed and thinking along those lines.

“She had a history of having been depressed and on one occasion had tried to take her own life by way of an overdose, but that is the only evidence available.

“I have to look at the method and suspension is a very deliberate act which requires some planning.”

The coroner concluded Mrs Edy had taken her own life.

If you would like confidential support on an emotional issue, call Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90 at any time