The Grip of Alcoholism
Turning the tide of addiction
I Fixed his Clock
Pointillism used to consider eating disorders in the elderly
Patterns of Anxiety
Mental health issues across lockdowns
The Shadowed Carer
The huge contribution of home-carers to society and their well-being is highlighted during a GP consultation
Understanding the True Burden
Strong bonds of family love sustaining a mother living with a chronic and acute ill-health are explored through voice, music and movement
The complex mind
A myriad of challenges to individualised, holistic care surface once mental stability is compromised
A Bitter Pill
Young male suicide statistics triggered this joint exploration into the need for adequate support-systems to be in place – before crisis-points are reached
Can They Feel The Change?
A haiku about anxiety in the current coronavirus pandemic
Sewing yourself back together
Free-hand embroidery based on exploration of alternative therapies to support post-natal depression.
Bubble
A hospital visit to a friend profoundly altered bodily and mentally whilst being treated for an eating disorder
Autism, art and animals
The positive impact of animal companions and the arts for children with autism
Crumpled Sheets
A multi-sensory embodiment of depression
Life… injecting it or sucking it away?
The struggle to break the cycle of addiction explored
Living with Alcoholism
The author’s experience as child/carer alongside her mother’s addiction
Sun-Spun
The poet observes a child with autism absorbed in play and feels privileged to be invited to join her world
Big Black Dogs
Metaphorical musing around depression as something which cannot be shaken off
Life-Line
A GP provides timely support to a patient with addiction
A Real Person Too
A young addict unexpectedly finds understanding from the medical profession
The Knot
An analysis of the impact of alcoholism and drug abuse upon the individual, their family and professionals involved
Use Your EQ not just your IQ
Rap based on the need to take an holistic approach during consultation
Depression
A personal account of depression – family and peer response and stigma around revealing mental health issues
Trapped
Prose from the viewpoint of young girl with her mother in consultation -unable to get word in edgewise
Disabled Mind
A teenager with a cleanliness phobia, perpetual hand-cleaning, turns inwards
Old Addicts
Poem about the precariousness of drug addiction
Postnatal Depression
Powerful image and poem describing the agonizing physical and emotional impact of a traumatic childbirth
No one
A poetic processing of living with OCD
How Can I Ever Forgive Myself?
Prose about a patient’s unbearable grief and guilt and a doctor’s support
Real Symptoms
A challenging consultation with a dissatisfied, distraught patient
The Patient
A bleak experience visiting a hospitalized friend – the complexities of mental health care
I am Like an Onion
Meeting an elderly lady with depression – haunted by her horrific childhood experiences in wartime Germany
Depression
A suicidal, depressed man confined at home
The Caring Doctor
Black humour around a doctor’s cynical outlook
My Mother: The Stranger
The poet accompanies his mother through acute clinical depression