I was attracted to SCOPE because of the way it reaches out to ordinary folk who struggle with mental health issues.
The introduction of Forums is so simple as to be fantastic. People with mental health struggles meeting and supporting fellow sufferers.
Some may wonder why I should be here. I qualified as a biochemist and did a PhD in Oral Biochemistry and spent years in R&D; time in OTC medicines and then ethical pharmaceuticals before going into teaching. Redundancies and short term contracts have been a large part of my life.
I have now been a civil servant for 13 years and hope the downturns in my life and the sharing of my experiences with people I meet can give encouragement to those I meet and support.
Whilst working for Smithkline Beecham Consumer Brands in Weybridge my mental health plummeted and I did not recognise it.
Eventually, I walked into the room with my GP with an A4 sheet of points on mood and how I was feeling. My GP was great: he told me that I had given him the best description of depression he’d encountered in years. Smithkline Beecham managers had not recognised my “behaviour” being linked to mental ill-health.
I lost my job with them and had to engage a solicitor to defend my corner.
I joined Zyma Healthcare 7 months after my job loss and was given a brilliant team to lead. When 3.5 years later jobs were shed in the UK, I found a position with a brilliant one man owned business and was given the opportunity to set up a pharmaceutical development facility. Some 40 new products later and helping the business to treble turnover, the owner sold the intellectual property and made all staff redundant.
After a 6 month temporary job, I trained to teach. Taught for several years before joining the Civil Service and have been with them for 13 years.
My mental health is generally OK but currently in a blip.
My experiences are what I now use to encourage people looking for work and in social settings.
There is hope and help out there. Please don’t give up or give up on your dreams. Your tenacity to keep going can encourage so many others.
It can be painful but keep going.
