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Report transcript in: A storyteller talks about their journey with mental health as part of the Oral Histories Project
Please Report the Errrors?
Hello, Andrea.
Would you mind telling us a little bit about what brought you here today?
Um, I'm just interested in telling stories
and getting views and opinions and experiences out there.
That's lovely.
And would you like to share with us a little bit about your own mental health journey?
Um,
yes, yes, we're not.
That's there.
Mm.
Yes.
I don't know. I suppose I've had experience of anxiety and depression. Very common,
Um,
and then recently discovered that
I'm not autistic. Um, so that's
that's just all interesting. It's
an interesting
I
thought
we might all come into play
and sort of Yeah, the frontiers of mental out because no one really knows where.
Perhaps one starts and another one stops and that sort of thing.
And how has it felt being on that kind of journey of discovery?
Mm. Really strange
lots to find out. Lots to
lots to think about the polls
and
boss to reflect on.
Yeah, and probably lots of
no no nose as well.
So
So why not just
bubbling on through life for you
and
a certain
elements of
the conditions that you're finding out about and explain for?
There are certain elements that you're finding
interesting or challenging in any way.
Mm.
I suppose it's
interesting to know how my behaviour
might be perceived by other people.
Um,
hard to think of an example, Really. It happens every single day.
Yesterday I was volunteering
and put it into a conversation that perhaps I shouldn't have because I don't know.
Why don't I know what to put into? What? To keep my nose? I would talk.
Yeah, someone
give me a right evil look or what I perceived to be an evil look
Not to be.
Yeah,
it's just yeah, just to me.
I was joining in and making polite conversation to someone else.
It was, Do you think you are
very strange?
So social interactions Often a bit of an unknown? Yeah, yeah,
I would say so.
It's
probably always been the case, but it's weird now to have a different
perspective on things and think, Oh, yeah, that's why I do that.
It's just
me trying to be friendly. But as I said to someone else's me being rude,
unfriendly,
it's interesting how everyone's got different
characters and we're all modelling together.
But how?
Some things seem harder for people that potentially on different spectrums.
I just in my own life,
I can see how people are no struggle with some things more than others,
but how way their brain functions in different ways,
how it can enable really creative thoughts in ways
that other people will be able to experience.
Yeah, yeah, So it is a different, different way of brain working
that's falls with the autism.
It's the way your brain's always worked,
and it's a bit of a revelation to think your brain doesn't work like that.
Well, you're a weird of an idea,
whereas I suppose if you have a period of mental ill health as well,
it's
you can remember how you were before
and you had a different sort of life before
rose with the autism who sad. But you'll never have a different life base.
That is the way it is. It is
just whatever it's going to be, and it's not necessarily
not necessarily something bad.
It's just just different.
But as I say,
it could be perceived as something about lots of autistic people are in there,
the mental health system or the criminal justice system,
and it's not really
that
they've committed no crime,
just something artistic. And it's
in somebody's tick. Boxes
describe
like,
I don't know
if people always get the support they need are in the right way.
Do you feel that you get the support you need
in a way, because I've gone out to look for it
and I've done volunteering
with various places.
Um,
so that's
whatever glad that at least I got the strength to
do that and the opportunities to do that as well
do some voluntary because
if you wait for the
psychiatrists and the psychologists, you'll be waiting a long time.
And remember all that.
You've got to deal with your daily life whilst waiting and school or work. Or,
um, listen,
ageing parents, that sort of thing. So
got to deal with it so well,
what have you found particularly beneficial about volunteering?
Meeting of the people
in the same boat?
Yeah,
just like an accepting place.
Yeah,
you turn up, turn up late for something and you say I can't find the door.
Couldn't find the car park.
Well, that's all right.
It's not doing as strange or weird. It's just part of life.
It's not being able to find the door.
So it's quite an accepting community.
Yeah,
resemble each other.
Um, is there anything else you'd like to share about your journey so far?
Oh, I can't think
that's a big, open ended question. Definitely.
Thank you very much. You're more than welcome.
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