The son of R. D. Laing, the Scottish psychiatrist, has been found dead in a tent on a Spanish island lying next to an empty vodka bottle, it emerged yesterday.

Police discovered the badly decomposed body of Adam Laing on private land on Formentera, one of the Balearic Islands, on Tuesday. Mr Laing, whose father linked mental illness to poor parenting and died after overcoming alcoholism, was last seen in a bar in the area about a week ago.

Police said that there was also an almost-empty wine bottle in the tent. There were also indications that he might have taken drugs. Recent heavy rain and high daytime temperatures may have contributed to the advanced state of decay in which the body was found, officers said. They are waiting for a post-mortem examination to be carried out.

Mr Laing is believed to have separated from his wife about six months ago, and had been working on the island as a house repair man.

His father, who died in 1989 at the age of 61, attracted fame and controversy for his work on psychosis, and his “rebirthing” workshops. He suffered from clinical depression, although he reportedly recovered in the years before his death.

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