This year, for World Suicide Prevention
Day, I’ve written a post for LEAPS (the group I chair) on their website: www.leapsonline.co.uk but I still
wanted some content for I’m NOT Disordered. My piece for LEAPS talks a lot
about my suicide attempts and so I thought that in this post, maybe I’d concentrate
on some of the many things (in no
particular order) that have saved my life…
Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne
& Wear NHS Foundation Trust
(including the Psychiatric Liaison
Team and the Crisis Team)
I’d like to thank my local mental health NHS Trust for four things:
1. Not being afraid or ashamed
to recognize that their service had become inadequate in supporting those with the
diagnosis of a Personality Disorder
2. Providing me with incredible
care once they were more adequately equipped
3. Believing that I could have a
happy and successful future
4. Putting in so much effort to
save my life when I was putting effort in to end it
Northumbria Healthcare NHS
Foundation Trust
I’d like to thank my local NHS healthcare Trust for two things:
1. Going to drastic measures to
ensure I had a future when I didn’t want one
2. Believing that I should be
treat as equal to someone who doesn’t have a mental illness
Northumbria Police
I’d like to thank my local Police force for two things:
1. Using so many of their
resources to find me when I didn’t want to be found
2. Recognizing the need to
improve Officer’s training in mental health in order to better the response
they provide
Richmond Fellowship
I’d like to thank the provider of my Support Worker for two things:
1. Dedicating their time to me
2. Never judging me for
self-harming or attempting suicide
My Mum
I’d like to thank my Mum for four things:
1. Fighting for my life when I had
no fight left in me
2. Never giving up hope that I would
recover
3. Telling me that she loves me
every single day
4. Being so inspirational with
her passion and determination for life
Cygnet Healthcare
I’d like to thank the provider of my long-term inpatient admission to the specialist psychiatric hospital for four things:
1. Providing me with the most
incredible Psychiatrist (I’ve never met a single one that would come anywhere
near her level of kindness) in Doctor Andrada
2. Allowing me the chance to
meet such an incredible Nurse and person who I’ll count as a friend for life in
my Key Nurse, Debbie
3. Giving me the opportunity to talk
about the abuse in a safe and helpful environment
4. Teaching me new safe and healthy
coping skills from Dialectical Behaviour Therapy
My pets
I’d like to thank my calico kitten; Emmy, and my lop-eared Lionhead bunny; Pixie for four things:
1. Being unapologetically themselves
2. Loving me when I have no love
for myself
3. Sitting outside the bathroom
door the entire time I’m in there crying
4. Grounding me when I’m
floating off into dissociation
Cats Protection
I’d like to thank this incredible organisation for two things:
1. Believing in my writing
skills in allowing me the opportunity to write the Calico Catch-Up column
2. Saving so many cats so that
they can help someone as much as the cats in my life have helped me