Today is the one year anniversary of the day I was admitted into Hospital as an emergency case and placed under Section 2 of the Mental Health Act 1983 to be treated for an episode of psychosis. Today Im celebrating my recovery and I want to share my story with you guys to help break down the taboo surrounded by mental health. During the lead up to my episode I was under a huge amount of stress triggered by numerous factors in my personal life, both up north and down south. This combined with a couple of undiagnosed physical health issues, that we now know can also contribute to symptoms of psychosis, led to a mental breakdown. During an amazing trip to Iceland with a close friend I had time to rest and reflect on everything that had happed to me recently and in doing so I opened the lid to whole can of worms and it was fricking hard/impossible to put the lid back on! Psychosis is a condition where you loose touch with reality and if you wanted me to go into detail I could share some flipping bonkers stories - all of which have provided my family and close friends with some giggles over the past year. But if I had not had the support of those close to me I dread to think what could have happened, and although I despised it at the time being placed under section was the safest place to be, not just for myself but for those around me too. I left the Rowan Ward, in Sheffield, before the 28 days was complete and returned to my grandparents where I received home treatment for a further two months. Again, I was lucky enough to have a supportive employer who ensured that I didnt have to worry about any financial pressures. They also ensured my return to work was seamless and the reason for my absence was kept as private as I could have hoped. A couple of weeks after returning to my normal life in London the reality and shock of the ordeal that I had just been through hit me and I started to suffer with extreme anxiety and server depression. I made the choice to leave my beloved London and my wonderful friends and return to Sheffield to be with my family and have some time out. Ive learned a lot about mental health in the past year and looking back at the lead up to my episode I can see that had been unwell for a long time but I had just came to accept that my ups and downs and little freak outs here and there were all just part of my personality and that I just needed to deal with it and sort myself out. If I had known what I know now I would have taken myself to my GP a long time ago, perhaps even years, and told him that I just didnt feel like myself anymore. I now know my warning signs were irrationally worrying about things, being overly concerned about peoples judgements and constantly thinking about everything and anything to the point where I was having regular panic attacks until eventually trying to do the simplest things, like send an email at work, was like swimming a length of an Olympic swimming pool filled with thick black treacle. I hate taking medication and for a long time I refused what I was being offered as I still had the belief that these problems were something I had created therefore I was the one that needed to fix them. Eventually, I had a stern chat with myself and realised if it was any other organ in my body that wasnt working properly I would accept help so why would I refuse it for the most powerful organ that I have? It was one of the best decisions I ever made, as it gave me the mental rest that I needed so I could recharge. I havent become solely reliant on it and its absolutely incredible what alternative treatments are offered on the NHS and one of the biggest factors that has helped me recover is just simply hope in the fact I would get better. If you are lucky enough to fall into the hands of the right health care professionals like I have then they can really help you find what treatment works best for you. The reason I am sharing this story is that like many people out there I simply didnt understand the impact mental health problems can have on people and I was often a bit flippant and didnt have much time for people with issues. Its opinions like this that prevented me from getting help when I needed it. I wanted to add my little piece to the #TimeToChange movement in hope that I could offer a little insight and perhaps help those who think they might be suffering. Please feel free to share my story with anyone you feel will benefit from it or just even have a chat down the pub about how Bex went nutters! And of course Im only an Facebook message away if you want a chat. Mental health needs to become as normalised as physical health is. The video below is about someone whos story is very similar to mine. Lastly, I shall leave you with the two quotes - the Yorkshire saying, theres nowt as queer as folk and the Icelandic term þetta reddast, which means it will all work out okay Love Bex x youtu.be/7BHKV2_wiik?list=LLMN5j1LojDkiQcOwNSQeO6g
Posted on: Thu, 18 Sep 2014 19:21:38 +0000
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