Personal Stories

Personal Stories

Mental health issues affect everyone – people like you and me. We've dedicated this area to the stories of people with experience of issues around mental illness. Some have been ill themselves, some have helped others on their journey of recovery. With help and support, most people recover from periods of mental ill health.

The How Well? Diary

Jemma is living, working and loving with manic depression. Read her weekly updates to find out how she's faring and what she's doing to stay well.

Robin's Story

Robin talks about his experiences as a young man, including relationships, university and drugs. After a positive experience in psychiatric care, he has gone on to find a sense of purpose and wellbeing. Read on to find out more.

Tony's Story

Tony McLaren is National Co-ordinator at Breathing Space the free, confidential phone-line for people experiencing low mood and depression. Here, Tony talks to Suzy Johnston about the car crash that led to his decision to leave the Church, and the dark times before he found his new vocation. This interview appeared in the December edition of Mental Health Today.

Ben's Story

Ben Leonard is planning director at Family an Edinburgh based advertising agency. Last year, the Government approached Family to undertake an insight gathering project into attitudes towards mental health in Scotland. Here, Ben talks about how being involved in this project has affected his own perspective on mental health.

Keir's Story

Keir talks about his experience of having suicidal feelings and encourges us to talk about and help prevent suicide. Keir now works as a volunteer raising awareness about suicide and depression.

Aisha's Story

Aisha is a university student who has struggled with depression for years. Having become more open and honest about her own difficulties she has found her fellow students are more willing to talk about their own problems

Rose's Story

Throughout her mother's depression and following her suicide, Rosehas had times of feeling very low herself: experiencing feelings of anguish, anger and hopelessness. Find out how counselling helped her regaina sense of perspective.

Tom's Story

Tom has battled with depression for twenty years. He credits his wife, children and his own sheer determination in helping him on his recovery journey.

Pru's Story

After more than a decade of difficulties at work, repeated illness, misdiagnosis, stigma and discrimination, Pru's now been well for years.

Greig's Story

Greig answered a call from Well? magazine to help produce an edition for young people. Helping others in this way has changed his life.

Helen's Story

Helen is an out-going, intelligent and loving young woman but, unknown to most of those around her, self-harm has been part of her life for eight years. Her story offers a glimpse into one person's experience of this much-misunderstood problem.

Vince - Mental Health First Aid Training

Vince Fletcher is the Choose Life co-ordinator with the Scottish Prison Service. He was one of the first instructors trained in Scotland’s Mental Health First Aid (SMHFA)and has delivered over 30 courses. Here, describes why he feels SMHFA training is so important.

Jamie - ASIST Training

Jamie had to put her ASIST skills into practice a short 18 hours after completing her training. Read onto find out how ASIST gave her confidence to ask a clientif she was contemplating suicide.

David - STORM Training

David, a nurse from Inverness, first became involved with STORM three years ago – initially attending the training being rolled out in his area, then six months later he became a STORM trainer. Read on to find out more.

Katrina - Promoting Mental Health Improvement Training

"There are many things I took away from the training, but none more so than the comment 'there can be no health without mental health'." Find out wh this training course had a major influence on Katrina's work.

Fraser -a poem

This poem was written by Fraser, who became involved in the Theatre Nemo drama project whilst at Polmont Young Offenders Institution, and was featured in the performance his group made there.