Devoted to the views of people who have experienced
mental health problems.
We welcome contributions from readers for this section of the
website. Please email articles to the webeditor@rcpsych.ac.uk.
"I have many friends who are well-educated and very talented and
are amazing to be around but who occasionally shut themselves away.
They feel utterly worthless and shy away from everyone. I wrote the
song 'Manic Depressive' so that they would not feel alone and to
know that I do understand what they are going through."
"The initial stimulus for this poem was a TV program that I
saw about depression and the brain. Two guest speakers Elyn
Saks and Kay Redfield Jamison, spoke frankly and honestly about
experiences with bi-polar disorder and schizophrenia. When they
indicated that depression is the kind of pain that is not easily
put into words, I decided to research the topic. It became more
than a poem and I used the letter - d - profusely." Helen
Slater
"I suppose it's because my psychiatrist changed my life - it's
that simple. This person slowly helped me through difficult
physical and mental stages to the point where I could again
function, and hopefully, once again contribute to society."
Clifford Greenhalgh, a member of the College's Carer's Forum
talks about his experience of caring for his wife Freda who
suffered from Alzheimer's and what services can do to improve the
care of patients.
First presented at a public seminar as part of the 4th Scottish
Mental Health Arts and Film Festival in 2010.
SD writes about her personal experience of coming off
Venlafaxine and the withdrawal symptoms she experienced. She also
offers very practical advice for anyone considering stopping their
medication.
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Coming Apart : Music video featuring 'Friends of
Emmet' about Kevin Hines' life
Kevin Hines is an extraordinary person who
survived his suicide attempt when he jumped off the Golden Gate
Bridge in San Francisco. His life is now spent in suicide
prevention and he has recently secured a book deal.
An Irish pop band ‘Friends of
Emmet’ has written a song inspired by him and his life. The
message is a very powerful one as the lyrics are inspired by the
events leading up to Kevin's attempted suicide. The video
reflects some of the extraordinary events on the day of his
suicide attempt. However, the song is very upbeat with an
incredibly moving and very powerful message of hope. The music is
excellent and the lyrics are beautiful.
Dr Alys Cole-King
Consultant Liaison Psychiatrist
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South West Division: The Lisa Thomas Poetry Prize
This is an annual prize open to anyone connected with mental
health which takes place during the Spring each year with prizes
being awarded at the South West Division's Spring
Biannual Meeting. There are three prizes, 1st Prize
£300, 2nd Prize £150 and 3rd Prize £50.
The response for the recent competition was excellent and we
received over 60 poems of a very high quality which made it very
difficult for the judges, poets Victoria Field and Matt Harvey
together with Dr Mike Metcalfe. The prizes were presented and
poems read by Victoria and Matt. Unfortunately Emily Wills,
Katherine Fyfe and Mark Lewis were unable to join us but we
were delighted that Anglea Hodges could be there to accept her
prize. Read
the winners' entries.
July 2010
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The Guardian: Tell us series
Readers of the You
tell us series have asked the Guardian for more articles
written from a personal perspective. In this series, the
Guardian has commissioned Comment is free
commenters to write above the line about their own experiences.
Each person tackles a subject from a distinctive angle, and makes
policy recommendations, in the hope that they will inspire others
to comment below the line. The Guardian started the series by
looking at
mental health issues.
May 2010
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A talk from the heart about the experiences of service users
struggling on benefits and the governement's push to get people
back into work through the Welfare Reform Bill.
by Graham Morgan from the Highland Users Group
(HUG) at the Annual meeting of Services Users
and Carers: 2009. Graham is also a member of the College's
Service User Recovery Forum.
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Alex writes about her feelings of grief shortly after
losing her father. Sept 2009.
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A short movie developed through the Psychosis Research Unit at
Greater Manchester West Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, to help
reduce stigma and prejudice by promoting the understanding and
early detection of psychosis.
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A report from the Highland Users Group about the important links
between mental and physical health. 2008
by Graham Morgan of HUG (Highland Users Group). The text of a
talk given at the RCPsych Annual Conference, June
2007.
Janey Antoniou talks to Dr Raj Persaud about her
experience of hearing voices.
We welcome contributions from readers for this section of the
website. Please email articles to the webeditor@rcpsych.ac.uk.
Notes for contributors:
Articles should be less than 3,500 words. They should focus
on the experience of being unwell or recovery. Ideally they should
contain information that others might find useful. Apart from the
Author they should not refer to individuals who could be
identified. Not all articles submitted will be published.
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