‘It’s like being trapped in a room with a terrifying creature.’

In Room 5, Helena Merriman interviews people who - like her - were changed by a diagnosis.

Written, presented and produced by Helena Merriman

Production Co-ordinator: Janet Staples

#Room5

End song: Miffed by Tom Rosenthal

If you have a story you’d like to share you can email: [email protected]

‘My inbox on instagram was full of women saying thank you so much.’ The pain began when Andrea was a teenager. When she was given a diagnosis, she wanted to find a way of explaining it to the world.

In Room 5, Helena Merriman interviews people who - like her - were changed by a diagnosis.

Written, presented and produced by Helena Merriman

Production Co-ordinator: Janet Staples

#Room5

End song: Miffed by Tom Rosenthal

‘A light breeze can quickly turn into a desert storm.’ On his last day of the school year, 17-year-old Jordan starts seeing and hearing the world differently. Hours later, he’s in a police station, struggling to hold onto himself before his mind unravels.

In Room 5, Helena Merriman interviews people who - like her - were changed by a diagnosis.

Written, presented and produced by Helena Merriman

Production Co-ordinator: Janet Staples

#Room5

End song: Miffed by Tom Rosenthal

If you have a story you’d like to share you can email: [email protected]

‘When I wasn’t high, I felt very sad and very scared.’

In Room 5, Helena Merriman interviews people who - like her - were changed by a diagnosis.

Written, presented and produced by Helena Merriman

Production Co-ordinator: Janet Staples

#Room5

End song: Miffed by Tom Rosenthal

If you have a story you’d like to share you can email: [email protected]

‘I stare at my own reflection, trying to remind myself that I’m not dead.’

In Room 5, Helena Merriman interviews people who - like her - were changed by a diagnosis.

Written, presented and produced by Helena Merriman

Production Co-ordinator: Janet Staples

#Room5

End song: Miffed by Tom Rosenthal

If you have a story you’d like to share you can email: [email protected]

‘I wiped my tears away and had to carry on with the party.’

In Room 5, Helena Merriman interviews people who - like her - were changed by a diagnosis.

Written, presented and produced by Helena Merriman

Production Co-ordinator: Janet Staples

#Room5

End song: Miffed by Tom Rosenthal

If you have a story you’d like to share you can email: [email protected]

‘It was unbelievably painful - I probably used a few Anglo-Saxon words.’

In Room 5, Helena Merriman interviews people who - like her - were changed by a diagnosis.

Written, presented and produced by Helena Merriman

Additional research: Ruby Gregory

#Room5

End song: Miffed by Tom Rosenthal

If you have a story you’d like to share you can email: [email protected]

‘He was interested in why I was so attached to this penguin’

In Room 5, Helena Merriman interviews people who - like her - were changed by a diagnosis.

Written, presented and produced by Helena Merriman

Production Co-ordinator: Janet Staples

#Room5

With special thanks to Rachel Roberts, principal viola with the LSO

If you have a story you’d like to share you can email: [email protected]

One afternoon, Helena Merriman walked into a doctor’s surgery and was given a shock diagnosis. In this series, she interviews people who - like her - were changed by a diagnosis. Told through an immersive sound design, this intimate series shines a light on misunderstood conditions, asking how we cope when our bodies and minds behave in ways that don’t make sense to us.

Written, presented and produced by Helena Merriman

Production Co-ordinator: Janet Staples