I began engaging in lived experience work as a 15 year-old driven by a desperation to ensure no one else… more
Lived experience without change is just storytelling
Category: Mental health care
“You look great!”: on the visibility of illness
A statement I have probably heard more variations of in the last two years than in my entire life. I… more
The “grey space” is not neutral: how mental health systems manufacture crisis
The “grey space” between CAMHS and adult mental health services is often described as an administrative gap. In reality, it… more
“Just tune into your body”: mindfulness, commodification, and the limits of body-based advice
“Just tune into your body.” Nowadays, it’s everywhere- therapy worksheets, mindfulness apps, wellness newsletters, even workplace wellbeing schemes. The message… more
When care restrains: distress, re-traumatisation, and the politics of risk and restrictive practice in inpatient mental health care
Content note: suicide attempts, self-harm, iatrogenic harm In February 2023 after experiencing a significant decline in my mental health, I… more
How Mental Health Act Assessments discriminate against autistic people
In February of this year, I sat across from three professionals in my sixth Mental Health Act Assessment (MHAA) since… more
“Why can’t you just be fine?”: de-medicalising self-harm
Content note: self-harm, suicidality Psychiatry defines self-harm as a harmful behaviour that causes physical damage to your body to manage… more
Psychosis and the social model: making sense of a world that doesn’t make sense
Despite our efforts to build a more liberatory mental healthcare system, psychosis remains one of the most stigmatised psychological experiences…. more
My admission left me more disabled: units must stop ignoring our physical health
I grew up physically disabled, being pushed from pillar to post by every type of doctor, test, and physiotherapist you… more
You cannot CBT yourself out of an ableist world
As an autistic person, I have lost count of how many times I have been told to reframe my thoughts,… more
The impossibility of good mental health in a dystopian world
“Because I wanted to” is my response to another mental health professional asking why I have self-harmed. They’re looking for… more
A Place of Safety: identifying good practice in mental health emergencies
My first ever mental health research job was for Mind in the 1980s, investigating section 136 of the Mental Health… more