I was pretty rebellious when I was a teenager - truanting, shoplifting, taking drugs...  But somehow I still managed to get good marks at school. I went to university, to study psychology, and ended up in a house with people who were quite restrained and middle class - very different from me. I think I had a bit of an identity crisis.

Things started to feel strange when I became convinced my housemates were thinking bad thoughts about me. Slowly I just got more paranoid, until I thought people could read my thoughts just walking down the street. I was hearing voices all the time, but I didn't even realise I was ill.  I thought maybe it was an after-effect of drugs I'd taken when I was younger.

It took about a year for me to get help, and I went to hospital as a voluntary patient. Things got worse, and then slowly better. In the end I went back to university and when I passed my exams, it felt like a real turning point. I knew my diagnosis wasn't a life sentence - I could really do something with my life. I decided I wanted to work in mental health - to make a contribution. Now I work for a project that helps people with mental health problems into employment. It's really rewarding.

Discrimination - my experience: I think friendships and social relationships can really suffer when you've got a mental health problem, either because people are scared, or they don't understand, or sometimes just because they're thoughtless. I've had friends who haven't taken me seriously; they seem to have written me off as a worthwhile person. One friend used to go round 'warning' people about me before they met me - so of course they were pretty suspicious when they actually did meet me. I guess in the end you just have to believe in yourself. That's what really matters.

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