Reducing the stigma around mental health
By bipolaretaeus ‘Deciding to live’ is a journal entry I wrote at 4 am, during a crisis in 2014. It transpired I was experiencing a mixed episode, diagnosed very soon after this in hospital. I thought I’d posted this already, just realised I hadn’t, so thought I would. I find Continue Reading
By Anonymous Recently, it was my birthday. My partner is struggling with depression, and the recent news that this is his condition and he may be on antidepressants for life. He always used to worry that a label like this would stop me loving him. As though putting a label Continue Reading
By Becky Barton Mental illness carries a stigma that professionals and patients alike fight daily to abolish. Despite the available statistics on suicide, suicide seems to be one issue that many people hesitate to discuss or acknowledge. But sweeping it under the rug does not make the problem disappear. In Continue Reading
By Natalie My name is Natalie and I am 25 years old. In 2014, I was diagnosed with anxiety and depression, which was hard to accept. I was prescribed anti-depressants which I had to take every day. These would give me the worst headaches imaginable, make the room spin and Continue Reading
By Inez Today is a day my family and I thought I’d never see. Today I was accepted into university to begin my Bachelor of Science, and I will be majoring in Psychology. The photo on the left is me last week. I’ve just finished my certification as a Mental Continue Reading
By Ellyse Rafferty As much as I would love to be one of those people who jump out of bed in the mornings, wide eyed, refreshed and ready to take on the day ahead, it just isn’t me. I am not a morning person at all. This being said, on Continue Reading
By Chris J N My medication has taken away part of me With a diagnosis of bipolar, anxiety, psychosis and paranoia and the help of a psychiatrist and mental health nurse and the community mental health team and a multitude of medications, I thought I was on the path to Continue Reading
By Tina Blacksmith I grew up in a broken home. That in itself took a huge toll on me. Between the physical and emotional abuse, I was a nervous wreck, always on the lookout. Fast forward years later to 2017. I’d like to say it’s all sunshine and rainbows but that Continue Reading
By Ben A lifetime of being a chronic worrier and overly anxious has been a significant hindrance on my progression. It’s why I’ve spent the last twenty years doing soul-destroying warehouse jobs for an easy wage. It’s taken me till my mid thirties to start thinking about doing something genuinely Continue Reading
By Sara Torkamanzadeh Why is it taking so long? How much longer can it go on? I think it’s getting better but then I regress Back to the time I couldn’t get dressed. Two steps forward and ten steps back Why is this darkness so hard to crack? One day Continue Reading
By Louise Fisher Well I have been asked to write a guest blog around my experience with mental illness. To be honest I don’t know where to start or what to even say. The last year for me has been like a never ending tornado, sucking up normality and replacing Continue Reading
By Michelle Robinson Everyone wants to be happy. But what is happiness? That is the million-dollar question. Happiness is subjective and hard to define. Your idea of happiness might be very different from someone else’s. But one thing’s for sure; there’s plenty about modern life that makes it difficult to Continue Reading