Prelims

Half Title Page

Different Diagnoses, Similar Experiences

Title Page

Different Diagnoses, Similar Experiences: Narratives of Mental Health, Addiction Recovery and Dual Diagnosis

EDITED BY

MICHAEL JOHN NORTON

HSE Office of Mental Health Engagement and Recovery, Ireland

AND

OLIVER JOHN CULLEN

HSE Mental Health Services, Ireland

United Kingdom – North America – Japan – India – Malaysia – China

Copyright Page

Emerald Publishing Limited

Emerald Publishing, Floor 5, Northspring, 21-23 Wellington Street, Leeds LS1 4DL.

First edition 2024

Editorial matter and selection © 2024 Michael John Norton and Oliver John Cullen.

Individual chapters © 2024 The authors.

Chapters 9, 12, and 21 © 2024 Anonymous.

Published under exclusive licence by Emerald Publishing Limited.

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No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without either the prior written permission of the publisher or a licence permitting restricted copying issued in the UK by The Copyright Licensing Agency and in the USA by The Copyright Clearance Center. Any opinions expressed in the chapters are those of the authors. Whilst Emerald makes every effort to ensure the quality and accuracy of its content, Emerald makes no representation implied or otherwise, as to the chapters’ suitability and application and disclaims any warranties, express or implied, to their use.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN: 978-1-80455-849-2 (Print)

ISBN: 978-1-80455-848-5 (Online)

ISBN: 978-1-80455-850-8 (Epub)

Contents

List of Figures

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 5

Chapter 25

About the Editors

Michael John Norton is a Recovery and Engagement Programme Lead with the HSE Mental Health Engagement and Recovery Office, based in the Republic of Ireland. He is also a Part-time Lecturer at University College Cork and a Dissertation Supervisor at RCSI Graduate School of Healthcare Management. In his role, Michael John has responsibility for the implementation of recovery-orientated practice across the entire Irish mental health services. One such aspect of this is Michael’s involvement in the development of Peer Support Workers in the said service. He is also module co-ordinator for a module exploring mental health policy and practice with University College Cork as part of the QQI level six award in Mental Health in the Community. Additionally, Michael is also a lifelong learner and is currently engaged in a number of programmes of study at postgraduate level. When Michael is not working and studying, he spends his time being an advocate for mental health and evidence-based practice through his involvement in the peer-review process for several high-impact journals and in being a member of several working groups nationally and internationally looking at areas such as co-production, family recovery and trauma. Michael is also an early career researcher whose research interests include peer support work, co-production, patient and public involvement, recovery education, mental health and personal/social recovery.

Oliver John Cullen has lived experience of dual diagnosis – a combination of both mental health and addiction challenges. He is a passionate advocate for recovery in his community where he has worked and volunteered extensively. His roles include Recovery Education Facilitator, Peer Support Worker, Peer Advocacy through engagement with forums and a Public and Patient Involvement Consultant on several research projects, covering areas that include peer support, co-production and service change. Oliver has spoken extensively and openly about his lived experience both on radio and a variety of mental health conferences. Oliver’s mission is to encourage change within services and wider society by encouraging others to speak about their own challenges and experiences in order to reduce stigma. He has qualifications relating to peer support and addictions from Dublin City University and the Institute of Technology Carlow, now South East Technological University. For Oliver, the purpose of this edited book is to allow others to speak about their own recovery journey in order to demonstrate that recovery is possible for those who choose such a path. He hopes you enjoy, learn and experience hope as you read this book.

About the Contributors

Anonymous 1 (Chapter 12) – A human following a deeply reflective life, breaking patterns, who is a jack of all trades but master of none, deeply interested in humans and helping and learning to rest.

Anonymous 2 (Chapter 21) – Anonymous 2 is a 28-year-old male from the south of Ireland. After secondary school, he studied French, mathematics, and psychology in NUI Maynooth [now Maynooth University] for a year. He dropped out of NUI Maynooth after the year and started working as a security guard for five years and then as a Heavy Goods Vehicle [HGV] driver for a further two and a half years. Now, he is in recovery and is currently upskilling with the hope of soon entering back into full employment.

Arlene is a 38-year-old from Co. Kilkenny. She has pretty much lived there all her life and loved it. She was surrounded by her family in a village that, as a teenager, she couldn’t wait to escape from! But priorities shift as you grow older and she couldn’t be happier than where she is now, surrounded by all this support from a loving family – in all aspects of her life, not just in recovery. She is still trying to find the new Arlene after the past 15 years or so. She keeps to herself but is very social with people she knows and trusts. She was good fun and friendly, although sometimes her face might tell you differently as she was a very deep thinker, and always had been. She liked to know the answers to everything and never liked to wonder for too long before finding out. Psychology and behaviour fascinated her, and she had studied it, although this wasn’t the area she worked in. Like most mothers, she lived and breathed for her kids, mentioning that they kept her going. She expressed being very proud of them and proud of herself for who they were so far. She stated her love for animals, mentioning she had six pets at the moment and counting. She liked to think she was kind-hearted and liked to help people if at all possible.

Kate Byrne is an example of, and advocate of recovery in the community. She is involved in 12-step programmes and supports others in recovery. She recently completed a Diploma in Training and Development in Sustainable Workplaces, including Equality and Addiction Studies. She is currently studying for a Master’s in Business Administration. She is a mother to three wonderful children who are flourishing in a loving home. Kate believes that the experiences and struggles we survive in life, add golden threads to the tapestry of our lives. Thus, allowing us to enrich the lives of those around us.

Mark Coyle is a 45-year-old and from Ballymun in North Dublin. He was a Professional Dry Cleaner and enjoyed working in this area for the last 25 years. He has a beautiful daughter who is nine years of age and her name is Eva. Eva is his hope and recovery journey as she shone the light on him especially when the days got hard with her amazing smile and the fun elements she brings to his life and that is how he knows now that hope and recovery are possible. He has been in recovery for the last six years from alcohol and suffered from anxiety due to alcohol intake and other stresses for the last 20 years. He has hope now, and telling his story helps his recovery and hopes it inspires others.

Claire Foy in 2014, at the age of 34, entered the workforce. Having been influenced by the frustration of her own experience and a drive to support others who were struggling with mental health and addiction, Claire has been working in the charity and NGO sector with marginalised groups since that point. She has experience as a frontline worker in low-threshold settings with marginalised populations and later in governance, policy and advocacy roles in several national charities. She is hoping to return to education to complete her post-graduate studies and she has long-term goals that include continuing a career path that enables her to influence social justice and health care reforms for marginalised populations, in particular for those experiencing, homelessness, addiction and those within the prison system.

Andrew C. Grundy is currently working as a Lived Experience Researcher in the School of Health Sciences, University of Manchester, UK. He is also the Lived Experience Research Lead at the Mental Health Policy Research Unit, University College London. Andrew’s PhD explored service user perspectives on and experiences of risk and its assessment and management in an acute psychiatric setting. His main research interests are in understanding concepts of ‘mental health’ and mental health service provision from service user/survivor perspectives. He’s also interested in critical approaches to public involvement and co-production in research.

Laura Hardiman is 30 years old and lives in Wexford. She has spent the last 6 years building a recovery lifestyle that keeps her feeling connected to herself, others and her place in the world. She likes a balanced life of being outdoors and sitting on the couch, watching horror films and reading poetry in equal measure. Her current focus is on community and working towards social recovery. She tries to always keep her mind open and changeable, but one thing she knows for sure is the healing power of relationships.

John had been in recovery from addiction and mental health challenges for two decades. His journey hadn’t always been easy but deemed it undoubtedly worthwhile and meaningful. Currently, he is working in mental health services, where he utilised his lived experience to inform his practice alongside his professional competencies. He expressed hope that his narrative, along with the many other stories of hope in the book, would be helpful.

Jack Kilkenny is a recovering addict and alcoholic. He reflected on how his life used to revolve around drinking and drugs, focusing primarily on living for the weekends. However, he stated that it wasn’t like that anymore. He is a family man who prioritised hard work and lived and breathed recovery. He emphasised the importance of recovery in his life, stating that without it, he would have nothing.

Jenny Langley is a passionate and positive-minded peer support worker, mother of three, and former Marketing professional who spent several months in hospital in 2021, confronting the damage caused by years of grief, trauma and depression. Determined to turn things around she embarked on a journey of personal growth, healing, self-compassion and resilience. Through regular psychology sessions, Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT), Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Wellness Recovery Action Planning (WRAP) and peer support, she transformed her mental health. Jenny recently obtained her Certificate in Peer Support Working in Mental Health from DCU, solidifying her commitment to helping others self-determine their mental health journeys. Believing in the transformative power of sharing stories, she hopes to empower others to embrace resilience and find hope in their own narratives.

James (Jimmy) Lewis is the Founder of Pleaze. A mobile app that is dedicated to tackling issues with mental health and addiction with innovative approaches. After struggling with mental health and addiction issues for the majority of his life, his mission is to help as many as possible.

Michaela Mc Daid is an Ecotherapy Facilitator, Writer and Speaker from the Northwest of Ireland. Ecotherapy is where her personal and professional life met and everything fell into place. As an avid diarist since childhood, Michaela doesn’t know how to be in this world without writing about being in this world and is currently writing her memoir. As for the ‘speaking’ part, chatting comes very naturally to this middle-aged Irish woman.

L. McGowan is currently employed as a family support practitioner in Ireland. She is a graduate of Atlantic Technological University, Mayo where she completed a degree in Social Care. She also completed a Certificate in Peer Support Practice. Her area of interest is trauma and she is currently studying for a Professional Doctorate in Health, Education, and Society where she intends to explore the topic of gender-based violence. She is a dedicated volunteer with much experience in various charities and organisations. Her credentials, work experience and volunteering show her unwavering dedication to the health and social care areas.

Paul is a 58-year-old father of four and is in recovery from substance abuse. He is at present finishing an Access year at University College Dublin as a mature student and will start a Degree course in Sociology and Social Policy in the autumn. His previous career was in the hospitality sector as Head Chef in many Dublin establishments. He has now returned to studies and has a particular interest in early education and prevention through community endeavours and education for young people regarding addiction issues. He has written of his own battle with addiction here and its subsequent effect on his mental health in a frank and open manner.

Amy Ryan is living in Cork City. She enjoys shopping, drinking coffee and people-watching in ‘town’. She is often found chatting on the phone with her friends and sister, travelling to new places and coming up with new ideas.

Shay works as an Engineer and, previous to this, a creative carpenter with a keen eye for detail. Having grown up as a lonely child until his teenage years in Kilkenny, he was involved in numerous sports as an active child. He is passionate about music and running which keeps his body and mind active and healthy and is generally an active person. He is a caring person who is always there to offer support and help others. His goal in life is to be an inspirational father figure, support his family and keep pounding the pavement until his body gives in and then complains about it.

The Eternal Student (Chapter 9) is a person no better or no worse than anyone else.

Acknowledgements