I would say I started noticing something was not right when I was 14. I was being bullied, so I was experiencing distress on a daily basis, self-harming regularly and even had suicidal thoughts. Although the bullying was partly responsible for it, I think it was just the trigger of something much bigger. Throughout my…
I was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder whilst I was in long inpatient admissions back in 2019. I was doing well the last two years- I took my meds, went to therapy and did a second DBT programme, but due to my diagnosis and a past section, I am now involved with social services since…
The first time I was sectioned I was taken off the railway lines by police and detained on a Section 136- a power to detain you and take you to a place of safety if they suspect you are suffering a mental illness and require immediate help. For me this meant I was taken by…
I have Bipolar Disorder Type 1, which means that I get both full blown depression and mania. My depression started when I was about 15 years old, but I didn’t see a therapist until I was 19 years old. I was suicidal and my friend encouraged me to see a therapist at that point. After…
I spent twelve months in an NHS funded private psychiatric hospital which was set up as a therapeutic community. It was 133 miles from home, so I was living in a new city away from all my family and friends. This was like no other hospital though; it prides itself on recovery within a homely…
I always felt like there was something different about me. People would explain it as, “You’re weird, but in a good way”, but it’s never felt good having extreme mood swings, feeling emotions so deeply, wanting to turn all the mirrors around because you can’t stand yourself, having chronic feelings of emptiness, constantly asking questions,…
I was 18 when I was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder. I had just spent eight months in a children’s Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). It would be another five years before I would be admitted to an adult personality disorder unit. Having a personality disorder is a profoundly unsettling experience – for me, all…