Penzance man helping people with mental health

~ Vickyw

Penzance man running

A Penzance man is helping people with mental health by offering coaching and counselling to others with issues.

Andrew Philips took up trail running to help with his depression and anxiety.

The builder took up coaching when a friend of his experienced mental health problems and he suggested a coached run to help break the depression and anxiety barriers.

When his friend started to make excellent progress, Andrew decided to use his expertise to help coach others.

The 33-year old runner suffers from anxiety and panic attacks until four years ago when he was introduced to three principles by Cognitive therapist Russell Davies who, Andrew says is an amazing three principals facilitator.

Andrew told heart.co.uk “There is no technique or mind training involved, or finding people’s triggers and trawling through your past.

“We just help to give people the understanding of how their mind works, and that everything you need is right there with-in yourself.

“We enable you to just live your life.”

A mother, Sarah Newing came to Andrew suffering from anxiety, depression and panic attacks.

Sarah said: “Meeting Andrew has helped me beyond words.”With his support and guidance, he’s shown me how to deal with my anxiety head and not let it control my life. “It’s been very life changing for me.”

He offers one to one coaching, group coaching sessions and running retreats and you don’t have to worry about this just being for super fit people because Andrew teaches people of all fitness levels.

There are different prices for different runs ranging from £80 for a 13 mile coached run around a Cornish coastline of your choice to £250 for a three night Cornish running retreat with a Friday to Monday stay which includes accommodation, breakfast and activities.

Besides running, Andrew also offers surf lessons, Yoga, meditation and beach barbeques.

If you are interested in getting fit or trying out something to help overcome depression and anxiety why not visit

www.ultramindcoaching.co.uk and give it a try!

Has exercise ever helped you or your loved ones overcome depression and anxiety?

Comment below or join in the discussions over on our social media channels.

The Westcountry desperately needs a mental health hospital

~ Vickyw

westcountry hospital in Bodmin

The Westcountry desperately needs a mental health hospital following recent news coverage about mental health patients travelling nearly 600 miles for mental health facilities.

The Guardian said that “Almost 6,000 mental health patients had to be sent far out of their local area for treatment last year, with some travelling hundreds of miles, according to NHS figures.”

“Data obtained by the British Medical Association shows the number of patients with mental health problems travelling long distances for care in England has risen by 40% in two years.”

With one in four people now said to be suffering from mental health at some stage of their lives this number will continue to rise unless a specialist mental health facility is built in the Westcountry.

In 2016-17, 5,876 travelled out of their area for treatment, compared with 4,213 in 2014-15.

One patient had to travel 587 miles from Somerset to the Scottish Highlands for help, the figures show.

Patients sent away for treatment could expect an average round-trip journey of seven and a half hours to see friends and family.

This isn’t ideal when transport costs and facilities in this country are poor and with higher petrol prices rising it isn’t fair that someone who is mentally ill, afraid and frightened have to go to a mental health hospital which is hundreds of miles away from their families and friends.

Louise Rubin of the charity Mind said: “It’s unacceptable that people who are at their most unwell and in desperate need of care find themselves travelling across the country to get help .

When you’re experiencing a mental health crisis, you’re likely to feel scared, vulnerable and alone, so your support network of family and friends are instrumental to recovery.”

An NHS England spokesperson said: “NHS England is investing an extra £400m in crisis resolution home treatment teams as part of our plans for the biggest expansion of mental health services in Europe.

They also added that they are giving local mental health trusts new powers to tailor mental health services to better meet their area’s individual needs, improving local services and ending the practice of sending people long distances to receive treatment.”

Back in April this year North Cornwall MP Scott Mann announced that he was delighted that NHS England had finally given the green light for new mental health facilities in Cornwall.

A new 12-bed mental health facility in Bodmin will be built for young people aged up to 18 years old.

Currently, many young people have to travel out of county to access a mental health bed.

The facility will be built near Bodmin Hospital and will cater for young people in Cornwall with mental health illnesses.

It’s fantastic that children down in the far South West are finally getting recognised and some much-needed help.

However, by no means is this facility enough for the over 18s in Cornwall who suffer from mental health problems, and there are far more adults in the South West, particularly in Cornwall than there are children.

Watch this space for news and updates on this!

Have you had to travel miles away from your home to check into or visit a loved one in a mental health hospital?

What are your thoughts about building a Westcountry mental health hospital?

Comment below, email admin@looneychickblog.co.uk or join in the discussions on our social media pages.

No update from the Mental Health team

~ Vickyw

update mental health team logo

I’m still waiting for an update from the mental health team.

It’s been two weeks when I last visited the Mental Health Team at Bolitho in Penzance, Cornwall and despite them telling my father and I that we would hear from them within a week, yet again this hasn’t materialised.

The problem with Mental Treatments on the NHS are due to lack of funding as we all know.

However, but this doesn’t help and if anything it delays my recovery.

If you aren’t suicidal or depressed people often assume that you are ok and not a risk to yourself or others but in my case, this isn’t always true.

Do you think that being lied to by the NHS over how they plan to treat your mental health makes people feel better?

We arrived at the session armed with questions, but there was no point in asking them because the two ladies I saw included an independent assessor aloneside a work experience college student who sat through the entire session on silence and when the assessor asking her if she had any questions she said she didn’t.

She never even bothered to question things? If this student then goes on to become a mental health nurse, what does this tell you about the future of the mental health team under the NHS?

Why so many layers of so-called professionals who tell you different stories to what happens in reality?

On my very first assessment I went to see a mental health nurse who then told me that she would be my CPN and after refusing me therapy for almost a year, finally told me she would also be my counsellor and relucatently gave me some CAT sessions before cutting the therapy short, going off sick and then letting me go from the mental health team.

I suffer from frustration and irritability which leads me to do the unexpected or unthinkable that people who I associate with would never do.

Don’t ever dare me to do something such as dance on a bar or climb a scaffolding because you know what happens next?

I will stand up for something I disagree with and rant and rave until I get what I want and if I don’t, there’s literally hell to pay!

Luckily these past two weeks have been so busy; I’ve barely had time to rant about the poor or lack of Mental Health support that I’m currently receiving from the NHS.

I’m seriously considering getting out a private health insurance.

HIIT class log

Last Tuesday, I went to my half hour HIIT Class and a swim before I met my sister in Truro for some dinner, and to watch The Addams Family at the Hall for Cornwall.

Even with a line-up which includes the fantastic ex-Eastenders actress Sam Womack, Coronation Street star Les Dennis and Tom Fletcher’s talented sister Carrie Hope Fletcher, I was very impressed with the acting and the singing, and I thought the show was better than I expected.

I don’t usually watch shows, as I prefer going to concerts and watching bands, but this performance was so impressive I want to see another show.

I’m thinking of treating my mum to a West End show as we never got a chance to see a show on Broadway when we were in New York due to strikes, and we never went to see a show when we took Dad out to New York because they aren’t his thing.

On Wednesday I was busy catching up with work and packing.

Unfortunately, I missed this month’s Bipolar group, but it’s in my diary for next month.

The only problem is travelling to Penzance for 2 pm in the summer can be a nightmare with lots of holiday makers, especially if the weather is bad.

I don’t tend to venture out too far in the car during the summer months because Cornwall’s roads are the worst for getting around with the regular daily traffic let alone when they have to deal with the summer traffic on top of that.

Cornwall Council is also the worst for digging up roads during the summer months or for not finishing roadworks in time for the summer.

On Thursday, I left my house at 6 am to drive up to Exeter for the weekend to look after my niece and nephew because my brother-in-law was playing at a gig in Guernsey and my sister was watching him.

Friday, I had my nephew and took him to pick up my niece from school.

Mum and Dad arrived in Exeter just as we were coming home from the school run, so me and my nephew went to the chip shop for tea.

We started watching Snoopy until it got a bit late and we sent the kids to bed and promised them they could watch the movie on Saturday.

Dad left to go and see my Grandparents in Aldershot before we were awake.

Me, mum and the kids drove to Lidl for a few bits and bobs, and then we went to the Donkey Sanctuary.

Donkey sanctuary

On the way back I stopped in Waitrose and treated us to Strawberries, Meringues and Ice cream.

We then went back to Donkey sanctuarymy sister’s for pudding, and we finished watching the movie.

On Sunday, we decided to have a chill out day, and mum cleaned my sister’s house.

My sister and brother-in-law arrived back in the early evening. On Monday, We got the kids ready for school, and my brother-in-law drove them in.

My mum, sister and I went into town for a bit, and we got some petrol before going home for some lunch.

It was then time to pick the kids up from school, and we left in the evening to drive back to Cornwall.

On Tuesday, I got up and walked to the gym at 7.40am.

I did a tough HIIT workout session which included push-ups, planks, jumping, running, boxing, lifting and twisting.

After that, I went for a swim, then into the steam room because I’ve heard its good for the skin and I chilled in the Jacuzzi before getting showed and changed and walking home.

I attempted to do some work in the afternoon, but because I was feeling dizzy, so mum told me to come up the chemist and shops with her to get some fresh air.

Today and Yesterday I have had terrible sciatica and a bad headache which has prevented me from working as fast as I would have liked, but I’m getting there.

I hope to catch up tomorrow as mum’s on holiday next week and we are spending the weekend with my sister and the kids again

.
I’m hoping an update from the Mental Health team will contact me sometime soon so I can finally get a diagnosis, the correct medication and maybe some relevant therapy that I will find useful.

How long have you or your loved ones had to wait to hear from the Mental Health team after being assessed?

Comment below, email admin@looneychickblog.co.uk or join in the discussions on ou social media pages.

No one is exempt from painkiller addiction

~ Vickyw

Ant and Dec Painkiller addiction

You may or may not have read the news and found out that Byker Grove, Saturday nights take away, and I’m a celebrities Ant McPartlin has confessed that he is suffering from painkiller addiction.

The 41-year old actor, singer and television presenter shot to fame in the late 80s starring in the teenage television programme Byker Grove, before becoming a pop singer and one-half of the duo “PJ and Duncan alongside his best friend on and off-screen Declan Donnelly.

Last weekend, Ant confessed to his best friend and the media that he is suffering from depression, alcohol and substance abuse, and as a result of this has entered rehab.

Unfortunately, most ordinary people who suffer from depression and painkiller addiction aren’t able to afford to check into the Priory, so most of them get pushed from pillar to post by the NHS who have no money, and their system doesn’t work correctly.

For example, one area of the country has more money to spend on mental health so that they will get more money and better psychiatric nurses and doctors.

People from more impoverished rural areas don’ get so much help due to lack of funding.

So the only way they can hope to improve is by going private.

Which costs a lot of money?

McPartlin, 41, told The Sun on Sunday: “I feel like I have let a lot of people down and for that, I am genuinely sorry.

I want to thank my wife, family and closest friends for helping me through this challenging time.

“I’ve spoken out because I think it’s important that people ask for help if they’re going through a rough time and get the proper treatment to help their recovery.”

McPartlin is believed to have checked into a rehabilitation facility, where he will remain for up to two months for treatment for issues the paper reported as having stemmed from failed knee surgery two years ago.

Many people who suffer from injuries can become depressed, especially injuries that affect your social pattern and your mobility.

However, the shame and stigma can leave you feeling alone and turn to drink and drugs.

This can be difficult to tell people about because many people are in denial and those who recognise they have a problem try to ignore it and as a result of this can find themselves going to the deepest and darkest demons of substances to help them cope.

I took codeine for years daily because of a bulging disc in my back.

The pain was so bad that it affected my mobility and I was left almost crippled.

I also gained weight due to this, and I was very frustrated because physio failed and four-hour trips to the hospital and back to see a specialist didn’t help either.

I was given a spinal block, which also didn’t make a difference.

I was lucky enough to be able to come off tablets.

However, no one is exempt from painkiller addiction, and you may not realise you are addicted until you run out of pills because your intake becomes much higher.

The TV presenter is said to have started taking prescription drugs to cope with the pain.

An unnamed source said that alcohol had also become a cause for concern among the presenters’ friends.

While many people including other celebrities praised Ant for being brave by speaking out, it doesn’t solve the fact that many people in the UK can’t even get a proper diagnosis, let alone counselling and medication.

Prince William, Prince Harry and Kate Middleton encouraged people to speak out about their mental health struggles; however, when people eventually do speak out, they are put on an NHS list which can take months.

They are often taken off the list before they can get a diagnosis. This is because it can take years to get a diagnosis, and the NHS doesn’t have the facilities to keep the forever growing list of people for that long.

If you or a loved one is suffering from pain killer addiction or any other addiction you can talk to organisations who can help.

To discuss this blog post, please comment below or join in the discussions on our social media pages.

Back for mental health treatment

~ Vickyw

mental health treatment checklist

Today I went back for mental health treatment less than 12 months after I was discharged from the mental health team.

I saw a mental health assessor and a student who was observing the session.

Last time I came I had an appointment with a CPN who also gave me therapy, so this time I wasn’t prepared for this.

The session started with the assessor talking to me about the Mental Health Service, and she gave me some leaflets about how they work and another booklet with numbers I can call in a crisis.

We started talking about my highs and lows, my sleep, my appetite and a bit about my childhood in length and talking about how my mind is racing 24/7 like a bomb waiting to explode and my dilutions that my work is excellent even though its probably at its worst.

Two years ago I didn’t want to wake up, let along get up and do an hours workout in the gym followed by a session in the steam room to help clear the pores in my skin, a swim and the Jacuzzi or a HIIT session followed by a swim.

The more physically fit I am, the more mentally fit I feel.

What happens next?

The accessor told me that she would be in touch next week to book an outpatients appointment potentially and to see a Psychiatrist and that they will relook into my medications and hopefully get me a diagnosis.

However, she also mentioned that she couldn’t make any promises because she is going on holiday next week.

When I was first admitted to the mental health team, I was placed with a CPN who at first was reluctant to give me any therapy as I was working with a private therapist at that time and the CPN also told me that there was a huge waiting list for treatments.

I was on the CMHT for just over a year, and at that time I only saw a psychiatrist twice despite them telling me they need more time to see me on a manic high before they could officially diagnose me.

The CPN gave me 11 out of the 12 CAT sessions she recommended and gave a brief diagnosis of Adjustment Disorder.

They said I might have a Borderline personality disorder as well as Bipolar 2 or Cyclothymia but hadn’t seen me enough to confirm or rule it out.

Please let us know your experiences with your local mental health teams?

Comment below or join in our discussions on our social networking channels.

Creative unique memorial Father’s Day cards

~ Vickyw

Card Company, thortful, is creating Father’s Day cards to honour Dads who are no longer with us.

thortful is an online greetings card marketplace, providing a platform for independent creatives to sell their designs from all over the globe. 

The card company pays their creators an industry-leading royalty rate each time one of their card designs are sold and handles all production and customer queries, providing quick and easy service for both customers.

Founder Vyvyan Greenall explains the concept: ‘I thought about creating Cards to Heaven after losing my dad. The loss was very painful, and I felt it so much during special times like birthdays, anniversaries and especially on Father’s Day.

I wanted to write a card to my dad and had nowhere to send it.

I didn’t think I’d be alone feeling like this, so that’s when Cards to Heaven was created’.

 By buying and sending these cards to Cards to Heaven, you will be supporting Life for a Life, creating community woodlands in the UK.

The new Starling Wood will be created by planting 8000 trees, creating a bio-diverse woodland that will become a home for many species of birds and other wildlife and a place of refuge for the local community.

The project will go even further than just creating a new woodland.

 On target completion of the project will lead to the raising of £90,000 donated to hospices and health-related organisations supporting those in the community.

The Cards to Heaven Facebook page is a visual memorial to these exceptional dads, where you can send a physical card and have the message to your dad displayed.

Vyvyan goes on to say, ‘death feels so final, but this allows a small comfort and a way to express your feelings telling Dad how much you love him.

Thortful have created a unique collection of cards in the loving memory of these dads. 

Buying these cards means you will be supporting Life for a Life, creating memorial forests in the UK.

100% of the profits from this collection will be donated to this great charity.

Cards can be sent to: 

Fighting for mental health diagnosis and treatments

~ Vickyw

 

I fighting for mental health diagnosis and treatment sign have an appointment with the CMHT after fighting for the correct mental health diagnosis and treatments.

At the end of last year, the community mental health team decided to release me without a proper diagnosis and treatments.

My GP then told me that I had a diagnosis of Adjustment Disorder which is a stress-related illness that should last no longer than six months.

I had 11 sessions of CAT Therapy where I had to draw a map associated with my highs and lows, and after a few sessions, I completed the map, and my therapist (also the mental health nurse) told me that I was making progress and should be released soon.

I attended my local surgery and was again put through to Outlook Southwest (who deals with milder depression and anxiety).

After a phone interview with them last December, I never heard anything from them until May, when I received a letter through the post, telling me that I was being taken off their list because they had attempted to get hold of me by telephone and had not been able to get through.

However, I checked all phone and answer machines, and they hadn’t attempted to ring me, and if they did, why didn’t they leave a message or ask my GP to contact them.

I went to see my GP a few weeks ago, and she spoke to Outlook Southwest over the phone.

They told her that I don’t fit into their category and that they don’t get paid enough to deal with someone with my problems and they also said that I couldn’t go back on the mental health team because I had previously been on the team.

Despite the mental health nurse telling me that if I ever got bad again that I could always go back on the team.

Last time I was on the team, I was depressed and suicidal; however, this time is different; I don’t feel depressed or suicidal.

I want to fly, and I have continuous racing thoughts and irritation running through my head. I live every day like it’s my last and I’m spending money faster than speaking the words.

If I touch alcohol, I can’t just have one drink; I always have this urge for more.

It’s like I’m chasing the dragon and waiting to play with the fire from the dragon’s mouth.

I do not see my actions, but it’s my parents that feel I’ve not yet recovered.

Let me know if you or someone you know has ever had similar thoughts in the comments below; you can remain anonymous if you want.

Are you fighting for a correct mental health diagnossis and treatments off the mental health team in your area?

You can also join in the discussions on our social media pages.

If you would like to contribute to the Looneychick blog, please email admin@digitalclassic.co.uk or tweet @Adminchick.

Exercise helps to stabilise my moods

~ Vickyw

stabilise moods exercise chart

I’ve finally found a release as exercise helps to stabilise my moods.

I’m a 30 something-year-old suffering from an undiagnosed mood disorder.

I’ve experienced years of counselling sessions that never really helped but I think I finally might have found a release to help stabilise my moods.

I’ve found a leisure centre just a 10-minute walk from my home, and the best news is that it’s not too busy and full of familiar faces as most of the people I know go to the mainstream leisure centres.

I have joined a quiet leisure centre in the village I live in, and I participate in (High-Intensity Interval) HIIT classes which are on twice a week, and I try to fit in a swim after each session.

The classes are a little more expensive than the main leisure centres.

However, they are much quieter, and I’m very weight conscious at the moment.

It’s been almost three years since I have done any high-intensity exercise and that was Shaun Ts Insanity Workouts. Maybe I will try Shaun Ts Max 30 Interval, classes.

I’m finding half-hour sessions a little bit difficult.

However, I’m determined to get fitter and lose weight, and it’s still early days.

My back injury has stopped me from doing the things that I love, but this isn’t going to stop me anymore.

I even went for a little run with my sister last week and was a little bit annoyed and disappointed at how unfit I was in comparison to a few years ago when I could run up and down Carbis Bay beach hills with little effort.

I was also a little happy because I never thought I would go to an exercise class or ever run again after being out of the game due to unsuccessful back treatments.

I have felt a few minor cramps in my back and the occasional hot and cold sweats, but if the pain gets bad, my doctor has told me to take medication.

I’m tempted to try acupuncture because physio didn’t work and the spinal block never made any difference to the pain.

A year ago, I wouldn’t have left the house by myself, let alone attend exercise classes.

If I’m feeling a little bit stiff after class, I like to do a few laps in the pool and then sit in the Jacuzzi for 10 minutes.

I find that I ache less if I do this, however, sometimes I’m so busy I can only fit in my exercise class.

I’m also going to start running again now that it’s summer and the nights are lighter for longer.

I’m not sure how much weight if any that I’ve lost because I hate scales and weighing myself.

The dreaded weigh-in is another phobia that I have to try and overcome. Maybe one day.

Let me know if you find exercise helps to stabilise your moods or maybe something completely different?

Comment below and feel free to join in the discussions on our social media pages.

Police killing mental health sufferers!

~ Vickyw

The police shouldn’t get away with killing or assaulting mental health sufferers!

Recently there has been a lot of press coverage about people with mental health issues coming into contact with the legal system and being mistreated before being detained in police cells because there aren’t enough hospital beds to treat them.

Is it right that the police in this country can go around and use mentally ill people to bully and beat up?

What’s worse is the fact that even when the police are caught, unless you have money the IPCC stick up for their own people and lie.

Just to prove I’m not some bitter blogger who wants to slate the police, here are some cases where this has happened:

A recent case that springs to mind are a gentleman with Schizophrenia who was killed by police from the Devon and Cornwall Constabulary while in a cell.

I was appalled to hear that the jury found the Police not guilty of murder and manslaughter.

A custody sergeant and two detention officers have been found not guilty of killing a man with mental health problems in police custody.

In 2012, 32-year-old Thomas Orchard was arrested and brought to Heavitree Road police station in Exeter, Devon October 2012.

Mr. Orchard, who had paranoid schizophrenia, was held down, handcuffed and a large webbing belt designed to restrain arms and legs was placed across his face.

Custody Sergeant Jan Kingshott, 45, and civilian detention officers Simon Tansley, 39, and Michael Marsden, 56, insisted their actions were proportionate and lawful.

A jury at Bristol Crown Court found them not guilty of manslaughter by gross negligence following a six-week re-trial.

He had not taken his medication for seven days and told a mental health professional he believed he was a vampire and should stay inside during the day.

Mr. Orchard was dealt with by seven police officers and fully mechanically restrained – with handcuffs and straps around his legs – before being placed in a small police van.

Bristol Crown Court heard that Mr. Orchard should not have been placed in the van as it was too small for non-compliant detainees.

None of the defendants recognised that Mr. Orchard was mentally ill and did not check how long he had been physically restrained for – a total of 18 minutes by that point.

If the police are trained to deal with mental health, how did they miss this?

The police officer claimed that Orchard appeared to attempt to bite an officer as he was taken through the door into the holding area of the custody suite.

However, the video footage which was shown on TV saw no evidence of Thomas being violent or a threat.

Mr. Tansley called for an emergency restraint belt (ERB) and wrapped it around Mr. Orchard’s face.

Devon and Cornwall Police had authorised the US-made restraint device for use across the face to prevent spitting or biting.

Police officers should not have the authority to place items onto someone’s face and why were seven officers needed to restrain one person?

Aren’t they specially trained?

The court heard that he shouted “Let go” or “Get off” a total of seven times from 11.24am to 11.26am, struggling violently a minute later.

He was then freed from the restraints and left alone in the locked cell at 11.29am.

CCTV footage showed him lying motionless on the mattress for 12 minutes before officers re-entered the cell at 11.41am.

By that time, Mr. Orchard was not breathing and had suffered a cardiac arrest.

He died in the hospital on October 10.

police shouldn't get away with killing

 

Below is a breakdown of deaths in police custody (or following other forms of contact with the police, as well as vehicular pursuits and road traffic incidents) since 1990, by calendar year and type.

Total deaths in police custody or otherwise following contact with the police, England & Wales 1990-date

Type Metropolitan Police Other forces Total
Custody 265 786 1051
Pursuit 47 320 367
RTI 20 104 124
Shooting 25 39 64
All deaths 357 1249 1606

Other deaths in Police custody include:

Prison officers acted unlawfully in restraining an inmate who later died

Teenage prisoner killed himself after staff failed to recognise the history of self-harm

Mobile footage shows police detaining Liverpool teen before death in custody – Video

Death of black teenager sparks protests in Liverpool

An NHS inquiry report shows that from 2010 to 2013, there were 367 deaths from non-natural causes of adults with mental health conditions while detained in psychiatric wards and police custody.

A further 295 adults died in prison, many of whom had mental health conditions.

The inquiry found that the same mistakes are being repeated across prisons, police cells, and psychiatric hospitals.

This includes, for example, the failure to appropriately monitor patients and prisoners at serious risk of suicide, even in cases where their records recommend constant or frequent observation.

It also includes failure to remove “ligature points” in psychiatric hospitals, which are known to be often used in suicide attempts.

Another example of police cover-ups was the Hillsborough case, where 96 people died at Hillsborough football stadium in Sheffield back in 1987.

In May(2016) last year families of the deceased finally got their justice 27-years after the incident when the 2012 Hillsborough Independent Panel report, which concluded that a major cover-up had taken place in an effort by police to avoid the blame for what happened.

Yes, the police have a job to do by bringing people in to investigate potential crimes, but them the right to assault or heavy-handedly killing mental health sufferers.

Police should not have the right to do this and get away with it, and I feel that giving them the power to use tasers is an absurd idea because the public will feel the need to protect themselves and will be carrying around weapons themselves.

There’s one thing carrying a weapon, but what if it used for the wrong people?

The worst thing is that the Police lie and cover up their wrongdoings instead of telling the truth.

If a member of the public lies to the police, they get charged with Perverting the Course of Justice, but if the police lie to their bosses, their bosses cover up for them.

If you or a loved one with mental health has ever experienced being mistreated by the police, let us know.

What are your thoughts on the evidence of the police killing mental health sufferers?

You don’t have to reveal your real name, but telling your story can really help us prevent this sort of corruption from happening again.

Email admin@looneychickblog.co.uk, comment below, or join in the discussions on our social media channels.

Loving the Life Less Lived by Gail Marie Mitchell

~ Vickyw

Loving the Life Less Lived review

Loving the Life Less Lived provides a perfect insight into Gail Mitchell’s world.

Have you ever heard of the saying never judge a book by its cover?

Well, the cover of Living the Life Less Lived has a title that fits the story and a picture of an orange, black, and white butterfly.

I was delighted when I was given the opportunity to review this book for the book tour during Mental Health Week 2017.

Firstly because I also suffer from depression and anxiety and secondly because having read so many things about these conditions, I wanted to see if Gail’s book offered information that I hadn’t come across before, which it did.

Gail decided to write a book about her anxiety and depression in her 40s and how she became inspired by a picture of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco that her mum brought for her as a gift.

Living the Life Less Lived is a book in which Gail is totally honest about her life and struggles, which I can relate to.

Like myself, Gail struggles with keeping a job and spends years looking for a cure until she starts to accept her illness.

She uses tools that help her learn and understand herself, and she then puts a positive stance on life.

She also shares her fights and victories in this book along with some tips on things that have helped her on her journey to living with mental health.

If you or someone that you know struggles with depression and anxiety purchase and read Living the Life Less Lived and you will definitely take something positive away from this.

I am impressed by the ways in which Gail kept taking herself out of her comfort zone and bouncing back, especially when she took the courage to travel to the US and Brazil and meet up with total strangers.

Gail is an inspiration, to many people who suffer from mental health. She is courageous and determined to make the most of life, and this positivity is what’s required to become a mental health ambassador.

You can purchase this book is available on Amazon Kindle this week for just 99p.

If you have any questions you would like to ask Gail, Please email admin@looneychickblog.co.uk, comment below, or join in our discussions on social media.