THE death of a talented teenager has been described as "terribly sad".

Shannon Marie Longstaff was just 18 when she was found dead in her bedroom of the Consett home she shared with her grandparents, on July 28, 2018.

The youngster had been out with friends that night before, returning at about 12.30am and going to bed after saying goodnight.

Assistant coroner Tanyka Rawden heard how Miss Longstaff appeared in good health before saying goodnight but her grandmother discovered her deceased when she went to check on her the next afternoon.

Sitting at Crook Coroner's Court yesterday, Mrs Rawden heard how the young woman had taken an MDMA tablet while out with her friends but had been sick immediately and had not caused them any concern when they dropped her off at home.

Detective Constable Steven Gothard, of Chester-le-Street CID, said there was no evidence of any third-party involvement or anything out of the ordinary in her bedroom, although her grandmother did find strips of tablets in her bag days later.

DC Gothard said text messages on her phone indicated she suffered from depression and had considered harming herself.

However, Miss Longstaff's GP said she had no history of self harm and was being treated for depression and had been referred for counselling.

Miss Longstaff was prescribed antidepressants in November 2017 and had several appointments before being prescribed a different antidepressant in June 2018.

The doctor said Miss Longstaff said the new tablets were helping her sleep and a further appointment was scheduled for August 2.

She was advised on how best to switch from her old medication to her new one and was even given advice from her aunt, who is a nurse.

However, a post mortem examination revealed Miss Longstaff had both types of antidepressants in her system at the time of her death as well as paracetamol and MDMA, which is also known as ecstasy.

The cause of death was a multi-drug overdose.

Miss Longstaff's mother, Tracey Raisbeck, said she had no idea how bad her daughter's depression was as she was doing so well at college although she was struggling with a boyfriend.

The court also heard how Miss Longstaff had tried cocaine the week before her death but told family members she did not like it.

Mrs Rawden said she did not believe Miss Longstaff meant to take her own life but was instead "experimenting" without fully understanding the consequences and her death had been "accidental".

"She was so desperate to feel better," she said. "It is terribly sad."