Vini

My name is Vini Reilly. Like lots of people I’ve experienced a depressive illness, three periods 1972, diagnosed by the first of 12 NHS psychiatrists in 1974. A recurrence of the illness is 1977 and 1979, at which point I received medications etc. and depression stopped, self-medicated, problem gone. A couple of T.I.As followed by a stroke, permanent brain damage: registered (labelled) disabled 14 years ago. That led to a mental illness, a form of acute paranoia, hallucinatory; delusional; isolated; alienating my ‘self’, received a Section 2 which was incredibly lucky: that illness was mostly cured, always recovering, not recoverable from (I’ll die trying to recover), as does every human being. After the mental illness I received social interaction from S. Manchester’s mental healthcare team, but just couldn’t accept that since those visitors weren’t personally invested, I was merely one more patient they were employed to try and connect with and couldn’t. The invitation from Mick Steff to actually talk openly within what I’d describe as the apotheosis of what inclusivity really means, and the relief speaking about some things gave me has been fantastic. The project of which I’ve been ridiculously lucky to be part of, amazing, as amazing as the persons I got to meet and converse with. Respect and thanks and love, in appropriate form, for love to be love.