I will talk about what it is like being a patient with severe mental illness, who subsequently trained as a psychiatrist. My experiences of psychiatric diagnoses, in-patient treatment, medication and ECT (electroconvulsive therapy), have undoubtedly influenced my personality and my practice as a doctor. I am now a consultant psychiatrist, working in the same hospital (Royal Edinburgh Hospital) where I was first an in-patient, kept well by medication and maintenance ECT (also in the Royal Edinburgh Hospital). Like others with severe mental illness, I have at times experienced stigma, but I hope that mine is also a positive story.
In recent years I have written extensively - in my blog and my memoir, as well as fiction. I also write poetry, and found this a comfort when I was unable to concentrate after a course of ECT. My story is personal, and is an acknowledgement that, with the right support and help, it can be possible to live with severe mental illness. Ultimately, it is a story of hope.
Speakers
Chair: Professor Stephen Lawrie, Congress Co-Chair
Dr Rebecca Lawrence, Consultant Psychiatrist, NHS Lothian
