My name's Beth. I have Bipolar Disorder, Autism and I'm soon to have an assessment to see if I have Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder (also known as Borderline Personality Disorder).
I have been psychotic. I get auditory and sometimes visual hallucinations when I'm stressed or my mood is on one of the polar ends of my condition. I have had thoughts of self harm, suicide and homicide. I overdose regularly. I have had paranoid thoughts about other people trying to kill me, medication being poison and the water at work being contaminated. I have been convinced I was God and heard the devil telling my to kill my boyfriend at the time. I have been an inpatient in a mental hospital 3 times and I've placed under Section 3 of the Mental Health Act (1983).
On the surface I'm your average 22 year old who works in a GP surgery. I'm just a girl who loves acting and helping other people. But it's only when you get inside someones head you realised there's a problem.
1 in 4 people within the UK live with a mental health issue. Whether they're stable on in a crisis, dealing with anxiety or psychosis, depression or dementia, it is part of their life. An invisible illness which needs to be talked about more. Having psychosis doesn't make you a serial killer. Having depression doesn't make you lazy. The more we talk the less scary it becomes. I used to be terrified of telling anyone about my mental illnesses because of their potential reactions but people shouldn't be afraid to speak up about it. If we don't talk about it perceptions will never change.
End the stigma. Continue the Fight.
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