It's been a while since I typed....and that's because I've been spending the last few weeks recording, editing and mixing. I have technical skills I had no idea I had. Audacity has become my friend. Which is really great for someone who freaks out at the sight of a new type of coffee jug in … Continue reading The REALLY Cast – a brand new mental health podcast
Ode to a Tormented soul
TW: description of depression I want to share this poem that my dad sent to me today. I hadn't seen it before, but he wrote it back in the 90s. It's about depression. It's pretty powerful I think. He's always been really artistic - he writes, plays music and he used to paint, too. He's … Continue reading Ode to a Tormented soul
We shouldn’t shy away from the ugly side of mental illness
1 in 4 of us experience mental illness at some point in our lives – but its prevalence doesn’t make it an easy ride. We have the US president tackling the ‘stigma’ of guns by blaming mass shootings on mental illness instead. But the image of violent mentally ill people is untrue. According to Time … Continue reading We shouldn’t shy away from the ugly side of mental illness
It’s not a party lifestyle that drives stars to self-medication, it’s the pressure to carry on regardless
The media has reported that Ant McPartlin is undergoing treatment for depression and addiction issues. He's certainly not the first celebrity to have fallen foul of self-medication. But why do stars head down this path, when surely they have access to the best doctors and treatment programmes in existence? Think about it this way. You've … Continue reading It’s not a party lifestyle that drives stars to self-medication, it’s the pressure to carry on regardless
Stop using mental health as bait
We all love to boo a pantomime baddie, but that's usually because they're stealing a magic lamp or weaving destructive magic spells. We know it's all made up and we know they'll get their comeuppance. But yet again, Katie Hopkins and Piers Morgan are enjoying the boos and hisses by taking their pantomime into real … Continue reading Stop using mental health as bait
Pipe down Piers
There's a charter for those who work in PR, marketing, accountancy and HR. It's to promote responsibility. Yet celebrities - who have a much greater influence than I have, for example, in my PR role - don't have to sign up to anything. So it's kind of about trust and good will. What would you … Continue reading Pipe down Piers
Review: Mad Girl
I'm a bit late to the party with this little beauty from Bryony Gordon. But I'm bloody glad I turned up....fashionably. Mad Girl tackles the topic of OCD, or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Specifically, it's Bryony's personal experience of living with OCD and that's why it's equally authentic, uplifting and pee your pants funny. First of … Continue reading Review: Mad Girl
What the actual f**k is this!?
It's tough enough identifying what's real and what's anxiety, but what the actual fuck is this!? Anxiety makes me doubt everything. 'Chris, the hens are absolutely over run with red mite'. 'OK love, I'm on my way home, I'll pick some stuff up to fix it'. Doubt pings into my racing mind. Did I really … Continue reading What the actual f**k is this!?
It REALLY couldn’t happen to a nicer…PR person
My mate Tom lives the life of a 90s PR. Those halcyon days when journalists had time to lunch with you at the restaurant responsible for underwriting your mortgage. In reality, me and Tom (or Tom and I, as he will no doubt correct me) were just starting out in our PR and marketing careers … Continue reading It REALLY couldn’t happen to a nicer…PR person
Review: Black Eyed Susan
So I was chuffed to bits that the wonderful Denise Welch allowed me to have a sneak peak of her forthcoming short film, Black Eyed Susan. Here's my review. As a mental health ambassador who has spoken publicly and at length about her battles with depression, it’s perhaps no surprise Denise Welch’s first project as … Continue reading Review: Black Eyed Susan
