Voices of Experience: Narratives of Mental Health Survivors

213 Pages·2010·1.32 MB·English

by  Thurstine Basset

Voices of Experience: narratives
of mental health survivors
Edited by
Thurstine Basset
Basset Consultancy Ltd, UK
and
Theo Stickley
University of Nottingham, UK

A John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., Publication

Voices of Experience

Voices of Experience: narratives
of mental health survivors
Edited by
Thurstine Basset
Basset Consultancy Ltd, UK
and
Theo Stickley
University of Nottingham, UK

A John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., Publication
This edition fi rst published 2010
© 2010 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Wiley-Blackwell is an imprint of John Wiley & Sons, formed by the merger of Wiley’s
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see our website at www.wiley.com/wiley-blackwell.
The right of Thurstine Basset and Theo Stickley to be identifi ed as the authors of the
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Voices of experience : narratives of mental health survivors / edited by Thurstine Basset
and Theo Stickley.
p. ; cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-470-68363-7 (cloth) – ISBN 978-0-470-68362-0 (pbk.) 1. Mentally ill–
Biography. I. Basset, Thurstine. II. Stickley, Theo.
[DNLM: 1. Mentally Ill Persons–Personal Narratives. 2. Adaptation,
Psychological–Personal Narratives. 3. Mental Disorders–Personal Narratives.
4. Survivors–psychology–Personal Narratives. WM 40 V8895 2010]
RC464.A1V653 2010
362.196′8900922–dc22
2010016190
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Set in 11 on 13 pt Dante by Toppan Best-set Premedia Limited
Printed and bound in Singapore by Ho Printing Singapore Pte Ltd.
01 2010
Contents
About the Editors vii
Contributors viii
1. Introduction 1
Thurstine Basset and Theo Stickley
Poem: Recovery – Libby Jackson 12
2. The Antidote to Madness: Crystallising out the Real Self 13
Peter Chadwick
Poem: But What is the Cause? – Libby Jackson 20
3. Surviving the System 21
Peter Campbell
Poem: They Come and Go – Dave St. Clair 31
Poem: Fixing Dinner – Dave St. Clair 32

4. Measuring the Marigolds 33
Alison Faulkner
Poem: The Tears I Cry – Mariyam Maule 45
5. Coping Strategies and Fighting Stigma 46
Joy Pope
Poem: Day by Day – Libby Jackson 57
6. Living with the Dragon: The Long Road to Self-Management
of Bipolar II 58
Peter Amsel
Poem: In Exile – Mariyam Maule 75
7. Coping Strategies 76
Ruth Dee
Poem: Puppeteer – Esta Smith 84
vi Contents
8. What’s it Like Having a Nervous Breakdown? Can You Recover? 85
Laura Lea
Poem: A Journey beyond Silence – Mariyam Maule 94
9. The Bridge of Sighs and the Bridge of Love: a Personal Pilgrimage 95
Peter Gilbert
Poem: Have You Ever Felt Lonely? – Dave St. Clair, 114
Poem: He Saved My Bacon – Dave St. Clair 115
10. The Holy Spirit – Healer, Advocate, Guide and Friend 116
Richard Lilly
Poem: Mist of Tears – Brice Jones 120
11. CAPITAL Writings 121
Thomas France, Timothy Bird, Richard Love, Kay Phillpot,
Howard Pearce, Clare Ockwell and Jude Smith
Poem: Nicely Nicely Nought – Martin Snape 141
Poem: Feel Easy-Fit – Martin Snape 141
12. The Value of Self-Help/Peer Support 142
Caroline Bell, Sarah Collis and Joan Cook
Poem: The Clear Sky – Dave St. Clair 151
13. A Recovery Approach in Mental Health Services: Transformation,
Tokenism or Tyranny? 152
Premila Trivedi
Poem: To What Could Have Been – Mariyam Maule 164
14. Stand to Reason 165
Jonathan Naess
Poem: I Am – Libby Jackson 173

15. Walking with Dinosaurs 174
John Stuart Clark
Poem: Negatives and Positives – Libby Jackson 182
16. Conclusions, Discussion and Ways Ahead 183
Thurstine Basset, Joan Cook and Theo Stickley
Poem: The Heart of Humankind – Mariyam Maule 192
Index 193
About the Editors
Thurstine Basset
T hurstine Basset trained as social worker and worked as a community worker and
social work practitioner, mostly in the mental health fi eld. He is now an independ-
ent training and development consultant and runs his own company, which is
based in Brighton. He works for national voluntary agencies, such as MIND,
Together, Rethink, the Richmond Fellowship and the Mental Health Foundation.
He is the Chair of the Mental Health Training Forum, Middlesex University. He
is a Visiting Fellow at the University of Brighton. He has written mental health
learning materials, many of which are published by Pavilion Publishing, with
whom he works in an advisory role. He works as an educational writer for the
Royal College of Psychiatrists. He likes to walk and watch cricket.

Theo Stickley
Theo Stickley trained in counselling and mental health nursing and practised in
both professions for many years. He now teaches mental health at the University
of Nottingham, where he is Associate Professor in Mental Health. He has pub-
lished widely in the nursing and mental health press. The focus of his research is
mental health and the arts, and he has led on a number of research projects in
collaboration with people who use mental health services. Theo is a keen gar-
dener, motorcyclist and artist (but has not yet found a way to combine all three
simultaneously).
Contributors
Peter Amsel
C omposer, writer and healthcare activist
Thurstine Basset
I ndependent training and development consultant
C hair, Mental Health Training Forum, Middlesex University
Caroline Bell
G roups Training and Development Manager, Self Help Nottingham and the
University of Nottingham
Timothy Bird
M ember, CAPITAL Project Trust
Peter Campbell
M ental health system survivor and freelance trainer

Peter Chadwick
Psychologist, Author
L ecturer, Birkbeck College and the Open University
John Stuart Clark ( aka ‘ Brick ’ )
P olitical cartoonist, travel writer and member of Making Waves Ltd.
Sarah Collis
D irector, Self Help Nottingham and the University of Nottingham
Joan Cook
U ser Involvement Development Worker, Self Help Nottingham and the
University of Nottingham
Ruth Dee
T rainer, Researcher and Author