The One Show came to Watford, discussing mental health support and the strain psychosis can place on relationships.
James Lindsay, from Watford, was interviewed by Fiona Millar alongside his partner Holly Saunders in Cassiobury Park and his West Watford flat, for an episode of the long running programme, broadcast on May 15.
They discussed how he told her about his history with anxiety, psychotic episodes, and being sectioned after they first met and how a relapse during the relationship affected them.
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The segment focussed on the partners of people struggling with mental health and their own struggles, which people don’t always reach out for support with.
James, who wrote Befriending my Brain: A Psychosis Story about his own experience, was glad to be given the opportunity to raise awareness of psychosis.
“I always think conditions like mine, because they are not always as well known as anxiety and depression, there is more of a stigma,” he said.
“I wanted to do my bit to spread mental health awareness.”
In the episode James described how he suffered from delusions and hallucinations after a mistake with his medication.
Holly said: “It was a real shock to the system. I couldn’t say anything without him shouting at me. I said to him ‘I can’t do this anymore’.”
James added: “I felt awful. At one point I was convinced she was going to break up with me and I would not have blamed her at that point because I was a really unpleasant horrible person to be around.”
What a hero of mine @JamesLindsay23 is. 👏🏾 https://t.co/ElNi9Nh0WW
— Luther Blissett OBE DL (@LBliss8) May 16, 2023
The 32-year-old explained how reading other people’s stories helped him. He said: “I started reading mental health memoires and I realised I’m not alone and it does get better, which I didn’t really believe before.”
This inspired him to write his own memoir and sign up as a media volunteer with Mind, which led to the TV opportunity.
In a closing interview, filmed outside Daisy’s in the Park, Holly said: “We won’t let mental health stop us from doing things.
"We have the best time together and we just can’t wait to experience more of life.”
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