| 1967 |
|
Went
to university. |
| 1968 |
|
Bad car
crash. Nearly died. Finally gave up on God. |
| 1969 |
|
Got married
and went to live in a commune. |
| 1972 |
|
Gained
first class honours degree in psychology - as well as
an identity as a mental patient by taking my exams in
an acute psychiatric unit. |
| 1976 |
|
Got a
lecturing job and met my partner. |
| 1986 |
|
Medically
retired from teaching. Told never to seek work again.
|
| 1987 |
|
First
mental health service user meeting. A revelation. |
| 1990 |
|
Started
PhD on 'media representations of madness'. |
| 1995 |
|
Offered
a job at the Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health. |
| 1996 |
|
Got my
PhD. |
| 1999 |
|
Spent
the whole year 'sectioned' under the Mental Health Act.
But my job is kept open, so I can continue my double life
as a researcher and mental patient. Decide the latter
has its upside... |
I'm an academic, although I've had
a pretty strange career. I think getting a good education
was my way of escaping a traumatic childhood. I went to university
when I was seventeen. When I was there I started hearing voices,
and I put my head in a gas oven. At the time, it was awful
- but I still managed to get a first class degree. I remember
I was like a walking chemical experiment when I sat my final
exams. That was the start of a long-term struggle - with mood
swings, self-harm, and hearing voices at the worst times.
Still, I went on to do some really interesting jobs in universities.
Then I had one particularly bad period and was medically retired
from teaching. My health worker said I shouldn't do 'stressful'
work again. So I spent years being unemployed and doing clerical
work. This is where one of the most insidious aspects of discrimination
comes in, because I think one of the worst things is people's
low expectations. I had good qualifications but they seemed
to count for nothing.
Luckily, I became involved with the mental health survivor
movement, and I finally landed a research job. I think after
20 years looking for a "cure" I've reached a kind of accommodation
with my illness. I've come to think of mental health problems
as something you can learn from. They can help you make
a contribution in the world.
Discrimination
- my experience:
I believe very strongly in challenging discrimination.
I think it's outrageous that I can't sit on a jury, can't
get a mortgage with my partner because I can't get life
insurance, and can't get a driving licence if I've been
in hospital within the last two years. Every time I need
insurance - even just for a holiday - it's a problem,
or I get charged higher premiums. I really don't think
I'm any more of a risk than other people.
Perhaps one of the scariest incidents of discrimination
was when our flat was burgled. We lost everything. I wanted
the police to investigate the people downstairs, who I
was sure were involved. But they said they couldn't investigate
because my mental history meant I wasn't a credible witness.
It seemed to me I just wasn't getting justice.  |
|
|
