At the beginning of March, the finalists for the Venus Awards 2018 (Devon & Cornwall) were announced and, having been shortlisted as a semi-finalist in two categories, I was very proud to see my name in the three finalists for the 'Inspirational Woman' award. Shortly after this announcement, I received an email with an e-badge, with a lighthearted instruction to "PR the hell out of the fact that you are a finalist" ... and that's where I got a bit stuck! OK, yes I was able to

Since it’s World Mental Health Day, we thought we would share some of the comments given by young people in our workshops. Participants are given a blank #heartonthehand image and encouraged to write comments about what they have learned in the workshop. The comments can be about how they have a better understanding of mental health, how they will try to help others or how they can manage their own mental health. We hope you find them helpful. The comments have been edited, b

This is more than just tiredness, more than feeling worn out… in fact it’s something completely different. Tired would suggest you’d had a long busy day, or maybe a bad night’s sleep. This is much more than that, much, much more. This is a tiredness that a good night’s sleep can’t fix. And even if it could, I wouldn’t know, because for me sleep is almost non-existent. It doesn’t matter how little I’ve slept or how much I have or haven’t done that day, sleep never comes – just

What does it feel like to self-harm? – by Jess What does it feel like to self-harm? Well, let’s go to the beach. And walk into the water, blindfolded. Just keep walking, you don’t know where you’re going. You just know you’re going deeper and deeper out into the sea. That’s what the build up to cutting feels like. Depression has blinded you. You don’t know where you’re going. All you know is you’re going deeper. Now, keep going until you begin to drown. You want air

In recent days, I’ve been given cause to reflect on the potentially devastating consequences of mental illness in teenagers and young adults – more specifically on the consequences of young people not receiving the help they need when they need it. Suicide is always a tragedy, heart-breaking, painful, but when it’s a young person who takes their own life, for me there is an added dimension to the sadness – the tragedy of a young life wasted, of potential unexplored and unfulf

Five years ago, when my daughter became ill with severe mental health problems, I knew absolutely nothing about mental illness. I didn’t really know what it was, what caused it, what to do about it and – most importantly – I didn’t know what to say or how to help! There’s nothing in the parenting manuals that tells you what to do when your 15 year old daughter falls apart in front of your eyes, and you find yourself standing there, utterly helpless. And so began the scariest