London, July 12 (IANS) A 20-year-old student in the US killed himself after suffering with uncontrollable blushing for years, the Daily Mail reported Thursday.

Brandon Thomas, a University of Washington student, jumped from the 11th floor of his Seattle dorm May 29 - and left a five-page letter blaming the suicide on his despair caused by the disorder.

I am tired of blushing, Brandon, from Renton, wrote. It is exhausting to wake up every day and have to find little ways to avoid blushing situations.

Since the age of 15, he had suffered from chronic blushing, an uncontrollable reaction triggered by an overactive nervous system, the newspaper said.

It occurs when the brain signals blood vessels in the face to widen to allow more blood to flow through - an involuntary action brought on by emotions such as embarrassment or anger.

It can be treatd with hypnosis, therapy, anti-anxiety drugs - including beta blockers - and a surgery that cuts the nerve in the torso that controls flushing, but this only has 50 percent success.