Londoner wants to help others through mental health research

A Londoner writes about her experience of taking part in mental health research in south London.

There is still a lot of stigma around mental health that can follow people around like a shadow.

I have bipolar disorder 2. The last seven years have been challenging in terms of managing my bipolar and menopausal symptoms: mood swings, irritability, difficulty sleeping, hallucinations and hearing voices.

People with psychosis have these very powerful, real feelings that they have done something wrong. Psychosis can alter your reality.

You wouldn't know any of this without me telling you. I've never been hospitalised or tried to commit suicide. I've lived with this my entire adult life. I was diagnosed in my late thirties, but I'd had mental health-related issues in my teens and twenties, particularly with depression.

I'm a mixed-race woman in my 50s. I grew up as part of a culture where you're expected not to talk about your mental health. However, I volunteer with the mental health charity MIND, am a complementary therapist, and do as much as possible to help others in similar situations.

Research is empowering. In my lifetime, the NHS has brought out so many techniques for treating mental health because of research, but there is still much more work to do in creating parity between mental and physical health.

Anything we can do to help other people is worth it.

The STOP trial was fascinating. Researchers are testing a mobile app therapy for paranoia. I was asked to read and interpret different life scenarios. The tasks encourage you to question your thoughts and how you respond to these common situations. I felt very supported by the research team and would be happy to take part in another online research trial.

I want to promote a greater understanding of mental health. I'm very open about my condition. You can have a mental health label and still live a good life: you can work, get married and have a family.

Even though the trial I took part in has now closed to recruitment, you can still find out more about the STOP trial and keep track of future, similar research on their website at www.stoptrial.co.uk.

The STOP trial is supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research and sponsored by King's College London. This research was funded by the Medical Research Council Biomedical Catalyst: Developmental Pathway Funding Scheme.