Please note: do not read this blog if you are feeling vulnerable to triggering issues.
I have a complicated past when it comes to mental illness. My first ‘episode’ was when I was eleven. I was bullied regularly by everyone in school, even by the teachers.
Since I was about 11 I have felt sad. I thought it was because I didn't have many friends or because my mum was quite ill. Things got worse when I became a teenager and we moved countries. I found it difficult to fit in, to find myself and to deal with my hormones.
I don't really know how long I have suffered with mental health issues, possibly as far back as I can remember. I was only diagnosed in 1984 by a brilliant GP who had taken an interest in my situation because his wife was a specialist in mental health.
I experienced mental illness for years but it took something huge to make me eventually open up. It was no longer my choice to talk, it was unavoidable. I wish I had disclosed my problems sooner and had control over when the truth came out about my mental health. Just as it’s never too late to talk, it’s never too early either.
Since I was about 11 I have felt sad. I thought it was because I didn't have many friends or because my mum was quite ill. Things got worse when I became a teenager and we moved countries. I found it difficult to fit in, to find myself and to deal with my hormones.
I don't really know how long I have suffered with