Morpeth NHS worker shares experiences of mental health in hope of helping others

Mel Christie works as a peer supporter on a ward at St George’s Park in Morpeth, part of Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust (CNTW).

Her role is to motivate and support service users and challenge the stigma around mental health.

She became a peer supporter after struggles with her own mental health. She was a victim of domestic violence as a mother with four young children and then had to deal with the death of her violent partner.

Soon after, Mel was diagnosed with bipolar.

She told a previous employer and was met with discrimination from colleagues.

Eventually Mel felt she could no longer cope, went to see a doctor and was instructed to take time off work.

“I lost a lot of confidence when I wasn’t working,” she explained. “I feared I would lose my job and felt unemployable.”

Mel’s breaking point was when she found herself sitting on train tracks, not knowing when the next train was coming. Her husband managed to bring her home.

She was referred to CNTW’s Individual Placement Support service (IPS), which supports people who are being treated by the Trust’s community mental health teams to find, or stay in, paid work.

Mel now works closely with IPS and the Northumberland Recovery College to enable all service users have the same opportunity to find work and therapeutic activities.

“I’m passionate about their rights and wellbeing,” she said. “If I can make them smile or laugh, I can go home knowing I’ve done something good.”