On seeking help
At twelve, I had a problem. Something was wrong with me. Something had descended upon me, out of the blue summer sky. In an instant I felt dreadful, weighed down, sick with something I couldn’t...
View ArticleA more accepting age? Why stigma is nowhere near a thing of the past
STIGMA fig. A mark of disgrace or infamy; a sign of severe censure or condemnation, regarded as impressed on a person or thing; a ‘brand’. Example: 1882 J. H. Blunt Reformation Church of Eng. II. 172...
View ArticleNow the party’s over: what is World Mental Health Day for, anyway?
For the mental health community, it’s The Morning After. Those involved in the community have spent the past month pushing the mental health message. It’s been taken to political party conferences....
View ArticleAn impossible ask
I’m going to start with a massive TRIGGER WARNING. This post contains numerous references to suicidal thoughts and descriptions of methods, as well as intrusive thoughts of self-harm. Please don’t read...
View ArticleThe long and winding road
Back in the spring a number of people started to suggest I might benefit from referral to a tertiary service. It would be wrong to assume that everyone knows what that means, so for those who need it,...
View Article999: Is your emergency deserving enough?
[Content note: A&E for mental health crisis, poor care experiences, suicidal thoughts, self-harm] The strain felt by A&E departments as we move into winter has been much in the news. Today the...
View ArticleWhy don’t people with mental health problems just get a job?
Last week I went to the House of Lords, something I found quite intimidating. Thankfully I was supported by a member of Rethink campaigns team in giving oral evidence to a Parliamentary Review. Chaired...
View ArticleFitness for work – the real life questions the system never asks
So I filled in an ESA50 last week and was reminded afresh what a terrible form it is. Yes, we all know it’s terrible, a terrible form for a terrible benefit in a terrible system. It’s not designed to...
View ArticleWhy “crazy” is lazy
Paul Nuttall is a crazy, myth making liar. Donald Trump has a troubled mental status, and we should feel free to used the terms “nut case” and “mentally ill”. Indeed, he probably has Narcissistic...
View ArticleBed/crisis
In past times when I have been very ill a bed has been found at my local unit – and quickly. I think one was sourced within the day the first time around, and the following day at the start of my …...
View ArticleIsolation, anxiety and ableism
So although the UK isn’t technically on lockdown the way a number of other European countries are, most people are beginning to find out what it’s like to spend a lot of time at home. The over-70s and...
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