Overview

In this episode, I talk about expectations that people put on others, and how difficult that can be, especially if someone is suffering from mental health problems, it can affect the person even more. Pressures and expectations from family, friends, peer pressure, school, work and so on. Trying to please people, not wanting to let people down. I also talk about cultural pressures, for example there were certain expectations and pressures that I faced in my younger years, coming from an Arab background, there were certain expectations. For example the pressure to settle down and get married, but at the same time it's like I was trying to live two separate cultures as I was born in England and from an Arab background, I found certain expectations quite difficult which also affected my mental health more. So, with any kind of pressure or expectation in life, it's important to decide what is best for you, take a step back and think it through.

In this episode, I talk about how difficult it can be within mental health services for BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) service users to talk about racism to non BAME professionals, and how there needs to be a change in attitudes and overall culture within services, in order to empower BAME service users to openly talk about how racism affects their mental health in daily life. I also talk about my own experiences on how racism affects my mental health.

- Please support the Zero Suicide Alliance and access the free online training at: zerosuicidealliance.com

In this episode, I’d like to talk about the Covid-19 vaccine, and how especially some people with mental health problems might feel hesitant to have the vaccine. So I just thought I’d talk about my experience of having the vaccine and the worries I had beforehand which also played on my mental health problems, hopefully by talking about it, it may help in some way to reassure other people with mental health problems, that may have the same worries I had before getting the vaccine.

- Please support the Zero Suicide Alliance and access the free online training at: zerosuicidealliance.com

In this episode, I talk about the way some people especially on social media, use certain words and phrases to trivialise and joke about mental illnesses and mental health problems. Stigmatising and generalising. For example, someone might say "I tidied my room today I was so OCD about it", or "that person is such a psycho", or "you're so bipolar". How does seeing such words and phrases make people feel who do suffer from mental health problems and mental illnesses, how triggering can that be. People don't realise the impact such words and phrases has on people that are suffering mental health problems.

I'm a service user and volunteer at Mersey Care NHS. Information and resources, for people in the Merseyside area, visit: merseycare.nhs.uk For anybody outside the region and unsure what support is available, please contact your local health care professional or Citizens Advice Bureau.

Please also support the Zero Suicide Alliance and access the free online training at: zerosuicidealliance.com

In this episode I’ll be talking about digital inclusion, what is digital inclusion. The three main aspects of digital inclusion is: 1 - access, affordability and availability, 2 – digital literacy, 3 – application, applying digital technology into the workplace, workforce development, applying digital technology into education, into healthcare, and into communities overall. In what ways do you think people can help others, to eradicate the digital divide, especially in these uncertain times. There is a responsibility for the government and companies to do more, to bring about solutions for people who are digitally excluded, low income households and disadvantaged.

In this episode I talk about Borderline Personality Disorder / Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder criteria. If a person didn't know anything about Borderline Personality Disorder (Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder), what would the person think when reading about the list of symptoms or criteria. Would the person automatically start thinking everybody that suffers this mental illness are all the same ? Would the person unintentionally or intentionally judge people that suffer this mental illness ? Or would the person start to learn, understand and become more aware of what people go through on a daily basis living with this mental illness, and think of the positives and the qualities, instead of focussing on the mental illness itself and the negatives that affect us. Know the person, not just the condition, become trauma informed.

- I'm a service user and volunteer at Mersey Care NHS. For information and resources, please visit: merseycare.nhs.uk For anybody outside the region and unsure what support is available, please contact your local health care service.

- Please support the Zero Suicide Alliance and access the free online training at: zerosuicidealliance.com

In this episode, I talk about the qualities of what makes a lasting longterm relationship and reflect on how my relationship was with my (late) partner Roger. I have nothing to compare it on, as he was the only longterm relationship I've ever had, well the only proper relationship full stop, the only love of my life, my soulmate... So my definition of what makes a good lasting relationship, the three main points would be Love, Loyalty and Communication. And the term love, for me would mean loving the person 100% and still being in love with the person no matter how many years together, that feeling would never fade away, that's true love. There's a difference, if you love the person, but maybe being in love with the person has faded away after so many years, or loving the person and still being in love with the person no matter how many years together, that feeling is still there, and I believe that's what makes a lasting relationship. And in terms of for example, with me having mental health problems, if someone truly loved me and cared about me, they would stick by me no matter what difficulties there were. As I know, some people would probably walk away, from someone with difficulties, whether someone had mental health problems or physical health problems.

In this episode, I talk about the difficulties I went through over 20 years ago when I lived in Yemen, in my 20s. Difficulties in terms of my mental health problems, and being unable to seek the appropriate help for those difficulties. I worked in a political newspaper over there (The Yemen Times newspaper). But in terms of my mental health it was very difficult to seek professional help when I was living in Yemen, due to the country's lack of funding for mental health services, and peoples perception of what mental health problems mean, due to how some people are brought up to think mental health problems means you're possessed. This is all due to lack of education and awareness around mental health and lack of funding. It made me sad knowing that some people have to live like that for so many reasons that are out of their control. Imagine how lucky I was to get back to England/Liverpool at that time, to finally receive the mental health support I needed.

- Please support the Zero Suicide Alliance and access the free online training at: zerosuicidealliance.com

In this episode, I talk about appearance versus personality. What's more important to you when you initially meet someone, in terms of looking for true love, building up a possible relationship, and more importantly looking for your soulmate. Do you initially base your first opinions on someone's appearance or their personality. Me personally I go for personality first and foremost. But some people are only interested in a person's appearance, without giving their personality a chance, which is a disadvantage because they're not willing to really get to know the person, which also suggests they are not really looking for true love anyway. I'm sure some people would agree that if you're looking for true love, you'd never take an interest in those kinds of shallow people anyway. Right ?

I was thinking back about the stigma and discrimination I encountered in the past due to having a diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder / Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder. I was also thinking back of what ways to change these kind of wrong attitudes and wrong approaches that some mental health professionals have when dealing with people who suffer from BPD and what ways we can work together to bring about a change, become trauma informed. Things have changed only slightly since the days I went through all those traumatic times years ago when being stigmatised all the time. I know it still happens to some people. Luckily for me the past couple years I had great professionals dealing with me, they were the correct people for my overall support. Far different to how I used to be treated years ago by other people.

- I'm a service user and volunteer at Mersey Care NHS. For information and resources, please visit: merseycare.nhs.uk For anybody outside the region and unsure what support is available, please contact your local health care service.

- Please support the Zero Suicide Alliance and access the free online training at: zerosuicidealliance.com