Thanks to Mind, I was able to understand the support available to me while I was sectioned

I was eleven or twelve when I started sailing and ended up loving it. You capsize all the time, but one time I got my ankle caught around the rope. It wasn't that long I was stuck in the water, but it felt like ages before the safety boats helped me out. Two days later, I went into school and I tried to go swimming. I wasn’t able to put my foot in the water and I didn’t understand why. Then my life flipped upside down. 

The accident tipped my mental health. I quickly turned to various forms of self-harm. I was in hospital after self-harm, but no one could understand. I was trying to put a mask on and pretend everything was ok. 

My school referred me for an emergency appointment with CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services), and I was hospitalised as an inpatient for the first time. It was four weeks before I turned eighteen. I got discharged on my eighteenth birthday. 

After that I was sectioned a number of times. I did have support in the adult mental health services, but it wasn't really suitable for my needs. I became a revolving-door patient. 
 
I was discharged from services in 2019. Unfortunately, Covid came in and things weren't great.  A good friend of mine passed away two weeks before we went into lockdown. I sent my old nurse a text saying, 'This has happened, I'd really appreciate being able to speak to someone'. I did speak to my old nurse and their words were, 'Oh, well you've been in this situation before.' I was like, 'No, I haven't. I've never gone through a pandemic. I have no idea where to go or what to do.'

 "I developed an eating disorder that took control in a similar way that the self-harm did and I ended up being sectioned again."
 
I was fuming because for once I'd tried to reach out. My life again flipped upside down and it was like going back two years. I developed an eating disorder that took control in a similar way that the self-harm did and I ended up being sectioned again.

I searched Google for help, and Mind's resources came up first. It helped me understand what all the different medical terms, abbreviations and acronyms meant. I also discovered that I could use a mental health advocate, which was incredibly helpful. I wrote down everything I was thinking, but I could never say verbally. Then the advocate would say it for me.

"Many of us wouldn't be sharing our stories if it wasn't for Mind. When you support Mind, you're helping thousands of people."

This gave me a bit of confidence, and I began to realise that,  I'm not the only one who has gone through this. So many of us wouldn't be sharing our stories if it wasn't for Mind. When you support Mind, you're not just helping one or two people, you're helping thousands of people in England and Wales who unfortunately may not have the support they needed from family and friends or may simply not have been ready to talk about their mental health.

It took me a long time before I could talk about my mental health. But having done so has helped me hugely and, I believe helped others. But don't ever feel ashamed to talk about your experiences because you never know who it might help.