I'm an Author!

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The Day I Helped Myself

"Why won't someone help me?
Why am I still this way?
Why do they leave me here alone
To struggle everyday?

Why do Schizophrenics Come off Medication?

Every so often, the news tells the story of someone with a mental illness who has committed an atrocity after coming off their medication. Along with the 'This proves that people with mental illnesses are violent!' squad coming out, the question is asked about why the person came off their meds. If the person was well on their medication, why did they come off it when they knew they would become unwell again?

A Year of Blogging

Today is the one-year anniversary since starting my blog.  It's been a year with ups and downs but on the whole, it's been a positive year.  I've done a lot of writing in the past year where I have had blog posts used on other mental health blogging sites, charities, a magazine and have even done a radio interview!  I'm using this post as a boost to my confidence and also, as I would like to start writing professionally soon, I'm using this as a sort of C.V. (known as a résumé in other countries).  I've used a few different names when writing these, one is 'Freakshow', an affectionate name (yes, really!) my sister and I use for each other, another is 'Misty', which was my dog's name and the last one is 'Katy', and I hope you can work out why I've used that name!

How to Enjoy Psych Ward Stays

Anyone who has been a patient in a psych ward knows that they are very boring places.  If you're lucky, the psych ward will have an activities programme as well as nurses and HCAs (Healthcare Assistants) who actually engage with patients.  If you're not as lucky, the ward will have no activities whatsoever and the nurses and HCAs will just sit in the office with a cup of tea and Heat Magazine.  Regardless of how enjoyable the activities are and how good the nurses and HCAs are though, psych wards are still really, really boring.  As a result, I thought I'd post some activities that can liven up psych ward stays.

A Step Closer to Being Revealed

With my book nearing completion, I'm getting closer to revealing who I am.  Outside of my family, only a few people know who I really am.  I've only met one person 'in real life' who knows who I am, that person was the Time to Change Wales volunteer I met up with a few weeks ago.  A few people know my surname and have seen a picture of me through Facebook.  Many people have heard my voice though, from the radio interview I did last week (if you're the only person on Earth who didn't hear about it, a link to the interview is here).