The A Word: fact or fiction?

The A Word is a BBC One drama about a family struggling to come to terms with 5 year old Joe being diagnosed with autism. We asked Autism Spectrum Disorder Nurse Consultant Jacqueline Dziewanowska, who works with adults with autism, what she thought to the programme.

Feeling on the outside

I often hear stories of childhood experiences very similar to those shown in the programme. The parent’s experience of inviting the whole class to a birthday party and their child never being invited to other children’s parties. The experience of other adults judging when the child has a meltdown, people staring in supermarkets and the parent feeling a failure because their child is different.

What was portrayed sensitively was when Joe’s mum stays outside and watches Joe in the playground. The pain she feels as Joe stands by himself against the wall in the playground is a scene that both parents and the person with autism can often remember well.

That winning feeling

Trevor arriving at the awards

Trevor Clower is an active member of the Trust and our Involvement Centre, as a volunteer and parent carer. Trevor won the Unsung Hero Award at our staff awards, the Outstanding Service Contribution and Recognition Scheme (OSCARS), in March. Here’s how he felt to be a winner.

Getting a phone call to say I had been nominated for an OSCAR completely floored me. It was amazing to find out that so many people had written about me to put me forward for an award.

Being nominated was the most overwhelming experience I have had in my life, short of seeing my two children being born, that would always take precedence I feel.

I didn’t think the feeling of being nominated would ever be topped, until I arrived at the awards ceremony.

Smoking: it's good to be a quitter

Wednesday 9 March is No Smoking Day. While studies show that two-thirds of smokers want to quit, nearly one in five UK adults continue to smoke.

We spoke to Sheila Wright, one of our Non-Executive Directors, about giving up.

Sheila’s story

"My first experience of smoking was aged nine years, smoking cigarettes supplied by friends who had ‘stolen’ them from their parents. By 16 I was addicted to nicotine, financed through my dinner money and pocket money.

Young people and self-harm

We spoke to Marie Armstrong, Clinical Lead for the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) self-harm team, to find out about young people experiencing self-harm.

My name in Marie Armstrong, and I have been Nurse Consultant, Clinical Lead for the CAMHS self-harm team for 15 years. During that time it has been a privilege that so many young people have shared their different stories, their experiences, pain and distress but also their hopes and recoveries with me.

What is self-harm?

Self-harm includes things like cutting, burning or taking an overdose – harming yourself in any way. Self-harm can affect adults as well as young people, and lots of the advice in this blog applies to adults, too.

Cheryl’s story: my postpartum psychosis

Cheryl McAulay didn’t have a typical 21st birthday. Instead of the big party she’d planned, the mother-of-one saw in her birthday at the mother and baby unit in Nottingham, where she was being treated for postpartum psychosis. 

Cheryl was admitted to the MBU at the Queen's Medical Centre (which has now been replaced by Hopewood), three weeks after giving birth to her son, Joel. Now, inspired by the BBC’s recent In the Mind season, she is sharing her story to help raise awareness of perinatal mental illness.

Cheryl's story

“I was 20 when I fell pregnant. Not many of my friends had children. I attended a few antenatal classes, visits with the midwife and GP, but mental health wasn’t a topic we ever talked about. It never came up.

Cheryl with Joel

A couple of days after I had Joel I went home to my parents’ house and then, shortly afterwards, I went to live with Joel’s dad, at his parents’ house.

I didn’t recognise it at the time, but my behaviour had started to change. I felt so hyper. I was talking at high speed. Sleeping was a struggle. The smallest tasks, just making dinner, felt impossible. One day, Joel’s dad walked in on me holding Joel’s foot under cold running water. ‘I was training him not to cry’ I said. It was after that I agreed to see my doctor.

Learning from experience: plans for our new Mother and Baby Unit

Blogger Eve was cared for at our Mother and Baby Unit, after the birth of her son. She now campaigns to improve access to mother and baby units, and is advising EastEnders on Stacey Branning’s postpartum psychosis storyline. We are creating a brand new site for children, young people and families, so we asked Eve about our plans.

Eve's thoughts on the new unit

I was in the QMC Mother and Baby Unit when I was unwell after the birth of my son. I was at rock bottom and thought my only chance of ridding myself of my despair was by not being alive anymore. But it turned out that wasn’t right; there was another way, and that was by being admitted to the unit.

Eve and Joe, three weeks before Eve was admitted to the Mother and Baby Unit

As a Mum, I needed to be somewhere that was safe, calm, homely and purposeful. And that is what the unit is and needs to remain in its new guise– a warm place with friendly faces with a knowledge of how to get you better. There is no better evidence base than lived experience and I am delighted that former patients have been spoken to with no subject being off limits when discussing improvement options for the new unit.

Supporting young carers

Last week we heard from Mike, who shared his experience of being a young carer. We spoke to Alyson Leeks, Family Intervention Coordinator, to find out more about young carers, and what the Trust is doing to help.

Who do young carers care for? 

A young carer is anyone under the age of 18 who provides physical or emotional support for a family member or loved one.

Young carers may be involved in caring for a parent, grandparent, sibling or other family member with a range of physical, mental health difficulties or intellectual disabilities. Many do not identify themselves as carers.

Young people caring for loved ones with mental health difficulties or substance misuse issues can be “hidden” carers. They carry out a caring role unnoticed by others, and this can have an enormous impact on their own development, education and opportunities.