“If you have read back to my early posts on this blog you will know that the whole scene was very close to home for me. I have been that BPD patient on a hospital ward, intent on ending my life…”
Coping with recurrent grief
“Just because it’s to be expected, it doesn’t make the deaths, or the grief, easier to deal with. People with EUPD aren’t immune to the grief associated with a death by suicide…”
How hope remains
“That hope, the hope that things will become increasingly manageable with time, is what keeps me going and is what I try and inspire in those I now work with.”
What a difference 5 years has made…
“5 years ago I was in the process of losing a job for being too mentally ill. Now, I have a job precisely because I am mentally ill and I am doing that job whilst navigating the ever-present rollercoaster of EUPD.”
Expert by Experience; the journey to NHS England
“If someone had told me then that three years later I would be where I am now, I would probably have yelled at them about how ridiculous they were being and told them to stop giving me false hope…”
Why virtual support just isn’t the same...
Covid-19 has led to a lot of changes in mental healthcare, here are my views.
Accepting reality
Recovery isn’t linear and it may never be finished…but that’s ok!
How to support someone with BPD / EUPD
5 key things to bear in mind if you want to support someone with BPD / EUPD.
4 things I wish people knew about BPD
“ I wish people understood that having BPD doesn’t mean you are a horrible person to be avoided at all costs!”…
Mental Health Awareness Week 2020
The theme of this year’s Awareness Week is kindness but do we really also need a Mental Illness Awareness Week?
Lockdown life
Insights into life during Lockdown when everyday normality is lost.
Coping with Covid-19
How the effects of social isolation are impacting life with EUPD/BPD alongside other mental health conditions.
Prioritising me
A look at the new year so far, progress in saying no and why time to act should be as important as Time To Talk.
8 positives of BPD / EUPD
“I believe there are many positive qualities to a diagnosis of BPD and that these do something to prove the stereotypical misconceptions wrong.”
Attachment issues
How having BPD/EUPD can lead to unusual but very strong attachments with people, places and even objects.
Radio and realisations
Insights into being part of a radio feature and realisations regarding having EUPD/BPD and feeling suicidal.
Campaign conclusion and apparent competence
Thoughts on the culmination of a year’s work and the dangers of apparent competence.
Traumatic restraint saved my life...but does that make it ok?
“Restraint undoubtedly saved my life on many occasions…However, that restraint was also traumatic”
Views on the use of restraint in adult acute psychiatric hospitals.
Respite reflections
“I have a personality disorder.”
“Really? I couldn’t tell…!”
Reflections on diagnostic labels after a respite stay.
Balance and Expertise
Balancing recovery with the role of Expert by Experience and views on how this role is used.