I am breaking a very long hiatus to share a few thoughts about Dissociative Identity Disorder that I think are important for others to understand. W H A T   I S   D I S S O C I A T I V E   I D E N T I T Y   D I S O R D E R ? I have previously written about Dissociative Identity Disorder on my old blog when the diagnosis was quite new to me.  As a short summary, the way I would explain DID in my case is that throughout my childhood I suffered multiple traumatic events.  It is as though parts of me got stuck and split off at the ages when these ..read more

How do you know that you’re growing up with parents with mental health problems when them suffering from mental health problems is all you know? The truth is you don’t.  You think it’s just the way they are, the way everyone’s parents must be.  Without even ever hearing the term ‘mental health’ , or understanding what it means, it somehow becomes your everyday reality, your normality. M  Y     M  U  M ,     D  E  P  R  E  S  S  I  O  N   &   A  N  X  I&nbs ..read more

Discharge.  One of my least favourite words ever!  I have a very persistent fear of abandonment, and struggle with ‘leaving’ and change as a result.  That one word seems to encapsulate those three fears, and worse, hence my hatred of it.  Nonetheless, it is an eventuality that all will inevitably face at some point.  After all, no one can stay in hospital forever, even if, at times, it might feel like you’re destined to for eternity!  Someone recently told me that quite unlike image of being thrown out into the cold that it evokes, the actually meaning of the word ..read more

I’ve been wanting to write another blog post for what feels like ages but other things got in the way.  It’s a topic that relates to one of my very early posts on my previous blog.  My thoughts are very different to what they were then so I feel like it is time for some long overdue reflections and updates. The words that always still comes to mind whenever I think of the phenomenon of hearing voices is a quote from Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets… ‘Hearing voices isn’t a good sign Harry, even in the wizarding world.’ I would say the same remains true in the muggle world.&nb ..read more

I’m writing this right at the end of the holiday season, but this topic featured quite prominently in my experiences over the festive period, and I’m hoping others may be able to relate on some level. So, the elephant in the room – the subject or issue that often stares people in the face in social situations yet remains unspoken as there is unease and discomfort attached to it.  Its presence overt nonetheless and shared through awkward silences, averted gazes and strained smiles. The example that always comes to mind that for me best describes the elephant in the room is from a scenari ..read more

I deliberated a fair bit when deciding on the content of my first blog post.  Originally I was going to go along the lines of reflecting on what has been a very eventful year in The Life of Lorna, but I decided that I’ve spent far too much ruminating over that on other platforms.  Besides, launching this blog was supposed to be fresh start – a new beginning.  What better time to write my first blog post with the new year looming?   My artwork above probably best encapsulates the journey I’ve been on this year in a way that words can’t fully.  Some of you may have been ..read more

Life has a habit of throwing a lot of unexpected things at us.I have found this to be very much the case of late. I think I mentioned in my last post that I had been unwell, and said something along the lines of ‘it’s just a virus - nothing to worry about!’It turns out I had a lot more to worry about than I thought!I actually ended up with sepsis!It has been a very scary time, but I seem to have made quite a remarkable recovery, and I now realise just how lucky I have been! I want to share with you ‘My Sepsis Story’ in the hope of raising awareness about the illness, and also offering some ad ..read more