A case of the most vile domestic violence has led to attacker jailed indefinitely for an attack which left her blind
Scotland launch new mental health strategy 2012 – 2015
Recovery from psychosis by CBT - my story I was feeling quite low on the day Charlotte commissioned this video so although I smiled with my voice I did not with my face. This is how people who've mainly worked in radio often are anyway: we...
Anonymous
15th July 2011
I recently heard someone say "I think I may go and see a counsellor, they will tell me what's wrong and what I should do." This spurred me to write something in order to dispel this myth and inform people about counselling before...
10th August 2011
I felt deeply sad when I read, in yesterday's Mail on Sunday, Gail Porter's interview about her experience of sectioning.   I knew she'd been in hospital -- Mental Healthy covered the story at the time - but it wasn't until...
Anonymous
15th August 2011
Last night I caught a segment on The One Show on BBC One, with Ruby Wax on how mental health conditions were once treated, with reference to the old asylums and the treatment of Electroconvulsive therapy. I had also recently done some reading on...
25th August 2011
Someone very dear to me recently said, "I feel so weak asking for help!" The context of the situation is that this wonderful and spirited person is not only recenty bereaved, but is also in the midst of a marriage breakdown. For...
2nd September 2011
Can having an obese child be termed child-abuse? I have just finished writing a report about a family which is having four children removed into care as a result of the parents failing to help them to lose weight.  The link to this report...
5th September 2011
Small steps are so important Currently as part of my training as a counsellor I am studying a mental health module with the open university and have just finished reading ‘Hilary’s story’ a woman’s account of her...
2nd October 2011
Life & death - Looking at the world through child's eyes February this year saw a friend of mine commit suicide or as I like to see it a friend was allowed to die in a secure unit despite repeated cries for help. She was the partner of...
2nd November 2011
As part of my counselling course I am currently reading about the holistic approach to mental distress. The holistic approach focuses on the client as an individual who is influenced by a number of different dimensions (psychologically,...
11th November 2011
OK, here goes... I have always loved to write, and have done so for many years. Not professionally, but for my own enjoyment. I suppose I found it therapeutic. Over an extended period of time, the writing stopped flowing. My mental health (...
12th November 2011
Twitter was buzzing with tweets about bullying on Monday, as Bullying UK (the national anti-bullying support and advice organisation) kicked off Anti-Bullying Week with a variety of Twitter discussions.  Asking questions, such as...
15th November 2011
The apparent suicide of a public figure, while incredibly sad, brings mental health stigma into sharp focus. The media exploded with speculation and debate about mental health issues and suicide at the weekend. The immediate, emotional reactions to...
28th November 2011
My youngest child celebrating his fourth birthday has put me in reflective mood. "Someone once said, motherhood is a series of losses". So said the Health Visitor who had stopped by to chat. It was early spring 2005 in London, ...
8th December 2011
A good portion of treatment/counselling is made up of your own hard work, even though borderline personality disorder is a chemical, physical occurrence in your brain.  Getting better takes a lot of time, effort, struggling, and even pain...
25th December 2011
I am a big advocate of talking therapies as a treatment for BPD. My experience of talking therapies began in London, with a counsellor and a course of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), aimed at bringing my OCD and anxiety back under control....
4th February 2012
It is human nature to try to identify with people in order to bring them, and ourselves, comfort. Walk into any child health clinic on baby weigh-in day, and you will overhear countless groups of women comparing birth stories. They are not trying...
19th February 2012
Finished an essay on the holistic approach the mental distress, thought I would share some of it; let me know your thoughts.... Today the most prominent model used is the biomedical model. It relies on trained specialists submitting a diagnosis and...
28th February 2012
During the course of my life, I have used the NHS a lot. From teenage to my early 20s in London, I received great care from hospitals and GPs alike for both chronic knee and stomach problems. In my mid-20s in London, I had my first child. With the...
14th March 2012
As a parent, I am highly sensitive to the emotional development and wellbeing of my children. My own treatment for my mental health problems has taught me the value of early intervention, and of learning the right skills at an early age. I am also...
15th March 2012
I have always known I am a little different to other people.    I am a little awkward socially -- I have some close friends but not a wide circle outside of the mental health field.     I have immense problems...
Anonymous
7th April 2012
Oh but sometimes I wish you could. Thankfully over the last few years I have come across people who have decided to seek help through counselling, for me I couldn’t be happier. Although I wished that many of those I have known were not in a...
18th April 2012
The Early Years When I was 10 years old, Christmas time was magical. I had received so many gifts I just didn’t know what to do with them all. “Put your toys and books away then,” said my mother smiling at my excited expression...
24th May 2012
Agoraphobia strikes... I stood on the pavement and the world swam in front of me. Everyone seemed to be walking faster, speaking quicker; buildings looked huge and intimidating and I was certain that I was about to collapse. I grabbed the wall for...
31st May 2012
One in five people become depressed at some point in their lives, everyone gets low at times but in some cases depression can interfere with a person’s everyday life. On one website it informed me that there are two treatments available for...
20th July 2012
As a peer adviser I work with young people who can be going through some quite difficult times. These can include self harm, homelessness, having to care for a family member, depression, low self-esteem to name a few. These are not the type of...
7th August 2012
If you long to find a way to lift your spirits, to get in touch with your inner sanctuary and find your real destiny, then read on. Take a morning or evening, or a day at the weekend to try these ways of making your inner star sparkle. You will be...
16th August 2012
People often refer to “the mask” of mental illness – that fixed smile I put in place before I leave the house. That expression that leads everyone to say, “You have a mental illness? I had no idea! You always look so cheerful...
19th August 2012
It's World Mental health Day, and today I want to say a BIG THANK YOU! To my fish I forgot to feed, to my neighbour I ignored, to my teacher I flipped the finger, to my mum who bound my scars... Thank you. To the man in the petrol station I...
10th October 2012
In the early days of my treatment, when I was newly diagnosed and having weekly visits from a Community Psychiatric Nurse, she asked my husband to attend a couple of our sessions. This was invaluable for all involved. As experienced as my husband...
28th December 2012
I advocate replacing birthdays with wisedays. Why the devil not? They do in some cultures, so why not here? I’m grumpy about the way getting older is frowned upon; making wrinkles even more firmly entrenched, by the brainwashing media....
5th March 2013
Syndicate content