Me, By Experience

Following a discussion on the radio, I felt inspired to update the blog – it’s been a while! The topic was about people that had ‘saved your life.’ Either directly or indirectly. I wanted to share with you two people who have saved my life! While this blog is about those individuals, throughout my time at Southern Health I have been surrounded some extraordinary people that are so full of compassion, kindness and generosity. They have all had such a huge impact on my life and there are certain individuals that really do stand out - but I would be terrified of missing anyone out, so I won’t list them here. Thank you all so much! I have struggled for many years with severe mental illness; with multiple stays in psychiatric hospitals and community care. A diagnosis of Schizoaffective disorder, I have struggled a long time with psychosis and hearing voices. When poorly, I fall into deep delusion, paranoia and become really unwell – sometimes accompanied by deep depression, although d

I was inspired to write this post after the #TimetoTalk day run by Time to Change last Friday. For those who don’t know, #TimetoTalk is a mental health awareness day, encouraging anyone with experiences of mental illness to talk. It got me thinking a lot about my own journey in sharing my story; the pros and the cons. There have been a few articles coming out recently with parts of my story; I’ve been featured in the Times Educational Supplement as well as the Southern Health Journal and The Daily Echo . I’ve been surprised by the range of emotions this has brought out; some positive, others less so. I think that it is important to share your story. It helps build understanding and compassion, and I think it has the potential to provide a lot of support for others who may be struggling. We all have our walls up, presenting the most perfect image of ourselves that we can over social media, and yet we still fall for it when we look around us. It’s never been easier to form wildl

My last post was a difficult one to share, as it was incredibly personal and emotional for me to put out there. However, I’m so glad I did, as I’ve been blown away by the supportive comments and positive feedback I’ve received. I found it really interesting to read some of the stories and comments written by others in response, particularly from people who admitted that they had bullied others in the past as a way of dealing with their own problems. I’m so glad that people reached out to contribute to the dialogue regarding bullying and the impact it has. However, in the midst of so much positivity and support, I was devastated to receive an abusive comment on my last blog post. When I first read it, I became paranoid that it had been written by someone I know, hiding behind anonymity. It made me worry that I was making a mistake by putting my thoughts and experiences up on this blog in the first place. I’m determined not to let one nasty comment bring me down that way. I have bee

This is the part where I tell you who I am. I don't even know if I've figured that out yet, but I can apparently tell you what I am. I'm a service user. A patient. Some people might call me a victim; others might use the word survivor.  My doctors tell me I have 'schizoaffective' disorder. According to my job title, I'm an ' Expert by Experience '. I've been through trauma. I can experience psychosis. I've been detained. I get paranoid. I disassociate. I get depressed. I hear voices. My name is Nathan Clifford. I don't think any of these things tell you who I am; I can only speak for myself. In this blog, that's exactly what I'll be doing: sharing my own strategies for recovery. It might be something other people find helpful, or it might not. I'm probably not an expert . I'm just me, by experien ce .     @NathanClifford