On Friday, 3rd April Sandra and Bob Chapman of Rosliston celebrated their golden wedding at Hoon Ridge in Derbyshire by kind invitation of Alex & Heather Heron. An afternoon tea party was enjoyed by a very lively group. Sandra is a member of the local "Breakaways" choir who, in between scones and strawberries sang well into the evening . Adrian Blamire entertained the party during the afternoon and Heather spoke about the valuable work of APP. Instead of presents Sandra & Bob asked for a donation to be sent to APP. We thank the happy couple for thinking of APP as they tripped down memory lane with their friends and family. A great sum of £192 was raised. Well done everyone! ...And what a great team of caterers!
Jenny's poem: 'Time for another'
Time for Another By Jenny
It must be time for another,
You can't have just one son.
He'll have no one to play with, be all alone,
And that would be no fun.
It must be time for another,
Sticking at one's not fair.
He'll be spoilt and selfish, demanding and rude
And won't know how to share.
It must be time for another,
Do you not love being a mother?
You should think about him and not about you,
He'd adore a sister or brother.
It must be time for another,
How old is he, nearly three?
Time's ticking on, your chance will be gone,
You'll really regret it, you'll see.
But another might drive me to madness,
Another could tear us apart.
We are three now not two, what would happen to you
If my mind broke? The thought breaks my heart.
This time you'd know, you'd be ready,
This time you'd plan, we'd be here.
But the horror of it all, the spiralling fall,
The hell of it, you've no idea.
Yet the thought of another is tempting,
That it might all be well, all be fine.
It could heal what has passed, lay the ghosts down at last,
The decision to try is all mine.
I'll get there, but the choice isn't simple,
The answer not easy to find.
I just hope if we do decide to have two
It doesn't mean losing my mind.
Kathryn's poem: Illness, recovery and parenthood.
ILLNESS, RECOVERY AND PARENTHOOD
by Kathryn Grant
Psycho world
The world is spinning away from me.
I hear voices I recognise, see faces I know,
But the harder I look, the more intently I hear,
The further and further they go.
The world is spinning away from me.
I've lost my grip on everything.
All that I know, all that I ever knew,
Has disappeared into a box marked
"Nothing".
The world is spinning away from me.
The fear takes control of my head,
If I open my mouth, or reach out my hand,
I'll know for sure I am dead.
The world is spinning away from me.
The safest place to be is inside my head.
The best I dare hope for, the best case scenario,
Is that this is Hell and Earth continues on in my stead.
But slowly, so slowly...
The world begins to come back for me
The drugs gradually do their work.
Allowing my mind to realise
This was life after all,
A hellish, dark, tortuous pit,
But specific to me and my worst fears,
And - thank goodness - not the end of life as we know it.
Survival
Nothing and no one can touch me now.
I've been to the back of beyond
The bottom of the pit
The arse-end of society.
I lost my dignity, my humanity.
But - guess what?
Life is not a one-shot game
You are allowed to fail.
Allowed to go back to the beginning
And start again.
The confidence that comes,
When you've reached the bottom
And survived.
Is unbeatable.
The knowledge that this gives,
The peace that comes from knowing
How futile keeping-up-appearances can be.
Is unshakeable.
Who can touch me now?
I'd like to see them try.
Come at me with words, deeds, targets, tests...
All of it matters less
Than the beauty of
Survival.
Parenthood
It's not about who you become
How life changes
What it teaches us.
It's about the new person
You have introduced
Into the mix of life.
It's not about you any more
Your hopes and dreams fade
Into your tiny bundle of EVERYTHING.
It's about all of them
From their most basic need
To their most incredible dream.
It's everything for them,
Your unspoken word and
Your every waking thought.
It's parenthood, you see,
The circle of life if you like -
And you won't mind one bit.
Kathryn's blog: Bumps and Grind
Images courtesy of Jetsandzepplins, Marleah Cole & Bridget Coila via Flikr
Artwork raises funds for APP
A unique and evocative piece donated by the exciting artist Dale vN Marshall was auctioned in December. After much anticipation and some fierce bidding, we were very pleased the final figure reached £594.
We would like to thank Dale and his supporters for this incredible chance to raise money to support, campaign, research, publish, inform and connect to build a better future for all those effected by Postpartum Psychosis. I’d like to add my own personal thanks for creating a remarkable body of work that transcends words and moved me so deeply.
East Midlands Mental Health Annual Conference
On 4th March a group of APP representatives attended the East Midlands Mental Health Annual Conference. Nicola spoke about Patient Involvement in improving mental health care and had a fantastic response at the conference and on social media. It was interesting to hear about early intervention in psychosis and NHS England Strategy for Mental Health. Well done Nicola & team!
APP’s Andrea Recognised by Deputy Prime Minister in Mental Health Hero Awards
Andrea Lambert, APP’s Peer Support Co-ordinator & Trustee, was delighted to be recognised in the Deputy Prime Minister’s Mental Health Hero Awards 2015.
The awards are part of the Deputy Prime Minister’s on-going work to bring awareness and treatment for of mental health in line with physical health.
The regional winners were chosen from 900 nominees by an expert panel who were looking for those who were leading the way in changing lives through one or more of the following:
- helping to break the stigma around mental health
- inspiring others in addressing or overcoming mental health problems
- making it easier for people to access mental health support and advice
- supporting people experiencing mental health problems to stay in or return to work
- pioneering new or innovative ways of supporting people with mental health problems and/or their families
Andrea collected her runner up certificate 'in recognition of exceptional work in the field of mental health' at a reception with the Deputy Prime Minister, Right Honourable Nick Clegg MP. The reception was held in Whitehall, London on Thursday 5 February to mark the launch of ‘Time to Talk Day’. The desire to bring mental health out of the shadows was the theme of the awards presentation reception.
Andrea commented, "I’m delighted to accept this award on behalf of all APP staff & Volunteers, who are making a difference on a daily basis. I’m incredibly proud of the work being carried out and the considerable progress we’ve made. It means a great deal that Maternal Mental Health is recognised in this way and brought to the forefront.”
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said:
“I’ve been overwhelmed by the huge number of responses we’ve had for these awards and the incredible work going on to help other people in their darkest hours. Every single one of them is helping us win the fight to tackle the stigma and prejudice around mental health and build a fairer society where no one has to suffer in silence. In my eyes they are all winners.
Days like this are a reminder of the progress we have made in raising awareness of mental health, but we still have a long way to go. Today, we can all make a difference by giving just 5 minutes for Time to Talk Day and speaking out about mental health. It may be minutes to you but could make a world of difference for someone else.”
One of the nominations she received can be read here>>
Thank you and Happy Christmas from APP
A warm thank you to all of our amazing supporters & volunteers for their work in 2014!
Although progress is never as fast as we’d like, we must remind ourselves that this year we have: trained another set of Peer Supporters to offer support to women and families on our community forum and via email; run an event for new potential volunteers to talk about the work APP does (the largest ever gathering in one place of women who’ve had PP); published a guide for women at risk of PP who are planning pregnancy; published a guide to support women’s partners; expanded our web information and personal stories; set up our network of Regional Representatives, coordinated by Nicola; and begun developing a handbook, powerpoint slides and a training podcast to support the work of our Regional reps. (more…)
Call to Arms to Urgently Address Perinatal Mental Illness
Charlotte Bevan's death and that of her newborn baby has deeply affected many of us. We feel desperately sad for Charlotte’s partner, family, friends and all those involved in her care. We do not yet know the circumstances of Charlotte’s death and therefore we cannot make assumptions about Charlotte's state of mind, but this is a call to arms.
As trustees of Action on Postpartum Psychosis, we feel we must speak out in general terms about the landscape of care for severe perinatal mental illness. Despite the hard work of this charity and of those allied with us (see Everyone's Business), misinformation, ignorance, and stigma surrounding perinatal mental health abounds. (more…)
The Chelsea and Yorkshire Building Societies Supporting APP!
In November a talented artist, Alexis Stevens, designed and produced Christmas cards for the Chelsea & Yorkshire Building Societies with the aim of donating all of the sale proceeds to APP.
The eye catching result with its London dreamscape and pop- art style is already selling well in the societies' branches- especially in London.
We feel sure that APP Members and Friends or supporters of APP throughout the UK would enjoy sending the cards - either in a "corporate" capacity or as personal cards to friends - not only to support fundraising but also to raise awareness of our charity (whose details are writ large on the back of each card!)
We should like to offer the warmest of thanks to Alexis & to the Westminster branch of the Society and also to the production team behind the project including: Alan Bale who has been so very helpful in getting cards out to branches and also to Donna Dunston who has sorted out production.
By seizing the initiative & supporting APP in this way, the Chelsea & Yorkshire team have shown just how flexible, caring, and energetically charitable such companies can be in support of those with serious perinatal mental illness . So if you are near the following branches in London, Chelsea, Ealing, Fulham, Kensington, City, West End or Westminster, why not pop in as our ambassadors , say "hello", and buy some of the societies' cards ? Branch finder>
Warm thanks & a Happy Xmas to Alexis Stevens and all those at the Chelsea & Yorkshire Building Societies , who are supporting APP this Xmas season.
From the APP fundraising team
Maternal Mental Health - the Economic Case for Action
On Tuesday 21 October 2014 the MMHA’s report into “The costs of Perinatal Mental Health Problems” was launched in parliament.
Representatives of over 60 UK charities and health professional organisations met with MP’s from all parties, and people with lived experience, to highlight the unacceptable variation across the country in maternal mental health service provision and focus attention on the economic case for action.
Dr Dan Poulter MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary at the Department of Health, pledged commitment to implementing NICE guidelines across the country; highlighting the importance of specially trained Midwives and Health Visitors and the availability of Mother & Baby Units in all areas of the country, so that women do not have to travel great distances from their families to be admitted, or worse still, be separated from their baby on admission. (more…)