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1. Can you tell us a little bit about Liam?

Liam is 15, and it was clear to me from a very early age that he was different to other babies. He didn’t reach any of his milestones on time and was a very poorly baby/toddler. I had to fight for over 15 months to get him diagnosed.

Liam is such a kind, gently spoken boy, he loves football, food, and films. He spends his spare time watching films and then doing PowerPoint presentations on the films’ characters – he knows lots of statistics on lots of actors. He is on medication for his autism, because, without it, he is constantly hyper and cannot sleep.

2. Did you know much about autism prior to Liam’s diagnosis?

I didn’t know anything about autism before his diagnosis. I was very young, and probably a bit naive as to what...

I’m autistic.

I still stumble every time I say it. A friend of mine who has known he is autistic for years has recently begun teaching me the difference between saying I am autistic, and I have autism. The latter suggests my autism is something wrong that needs to be fixed; the former reminds me that it’s just part of me, one that doesn’t need to be fixed or changed. I’m just fine the way I am.

I’m one of the 0.2% of women in England on the spectrum.

It isn’t surprising that it took years to get a diagnosis. According to The National Autistic Society, many women and girls are never referred, as we are often able to imitate social cues, masking the problems we have in...

When it comes to caring, many of us will not know the responsibilities involved – not, until we are thrust into the role ourselves. Young carers will be caring for someone, while still attending school, college and trying to live a normal life – but how normal can they be?

To support Young Carers Awareness Week and help make people more aware of the life young carers live, we spoke to Carers Trust, who put us in contact with Becky, aged 16.

Below is Becky’s seven-day diary.

10/01/17:

Woke at 7am, normal time, had a quick check to see if I could hear mum moving around downstairs. I could and all seemed fine, so jumped in the shower. Rush downstairs, pack my schoolbag, eat breakfast. Whilst I’m rushing about, mum is curled up on the sofa holding her arm, wincing with pain (mum suffers with fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis and gout). I ask mum if she is...

My grandfather passed away this morning. It didn’t come as a shock; he was in and out of hospital over the last few months after being diagnosed with throat cancer. Nethertheless, it was a difficult thing to hear.

My sister called me on my way into work. I could tell she had been crying from her voice, and from this, I expected the worst. As she explained what had happened, I remember not being able to really think or feel. I was numb to it and saw things very objectively. My main thoughts were about how it would affect my family.

He passed away peacefully in the early hours of the morning with my father by his side.

After arriving at work and processing the news, I was still very unsure how I felt. I was definitely sad, but I think I had already accepted that it was going to...

What happened?

I was 13 when the bullying started. The first time was my best friend. She started hanging out with the wrong people and getting into bad habits, such as smoking and drugs. She tried getting me into it but I didn’t. She started to say things to me, calling me a coward because I wouldn’t do something. She made me feel stupid in front of everyone.

It knocked my confidence down, especially when I had to lie about where I was because I was always out with this girl and she wanted to be out with her friends in the park. She was the only friend I had left. Because I was changing, people didn’t want to know me, I was known as ‘her best friend’.

Then another girl started to send me nasty messages. She threatened me, saying she would come to my house and cut me up. I became depressed. All I wanted to do was sleep when I got home, I had no confidence and no control.

How did you overcome it?

The...

But what can we do to help? Awareness, knowing the signs and how to manage the situation are key in the fight to stand up to bullying. Counselling Directory team member, Matt shares his experience.

“I have first hand experience of bullying. My eldest daughter was a victim of this last year at senior school. She was in year nine (13 years old).

One day she came home and her mood and attitude were very different, she was quiet and snappy with any questions. I asked her what the matter was and she said that some boys had been nasty to her and she was upset.

We both went for a walk with our dog to the local fields as I wanted to have a chat with her away from the house, somewhere open and a little more relaxed.

When we started talking, she told me what was happening and how over a period of time a small group of boys had been making fun of her name and saying nasty things about her.

While illnesses like depression and anxiety are becoming increasingly more common and recognised, they affect everyone differently.

I suffer from minor bouts of anxiety from time to time, but recently I have honed my ability to recognise my symptoms and therefore feel more able to help myself.

Recognising my symptoms early enables me to look after myself before things get out of hand and for the time being I have been able to do this through self-care.

Here is what anxiety feels like to me:

I feel nauseous

Physically, I feel anxiety in my stomach the most. I have a permanent knot in my stomach, have ‘butterflies’ and feel very sick. It’s like I’m nervous about something, but I can’t put my finger on it.

I suffer from nightmares

This is quite a new symptom for me. My most recent bout...

Three months ago, Counselling Directory team member Ellen shared her experience. After writing her feelings down in ‘a personal story: grief and loss’, Ellen found that it helped manage a lot of the sadness that was unexpectedly taking over her life.

Nearly three months later, a lot has changed. Losing a loved one is a tragedy, but life goes on and you have to learn to manage the feelings. Today, Ellen talks about the past few months and what has helped her cope with what happened.

“It seems like it was much longer than just three months ago. Keeping busy is certainly one way to make the time pass, though you don’t always have a moment to stop and process what has happened.

I wrote my experience three days after, the funeral was yet to be planned and my whole family felt empty. Now though, things have changed and we have started to adjust.

I don’t think anything will fully...

“Last week, I had the sad news of my grandfather collapsing. I was back at my parents when we heard and while my dad was in the hospital with him, me and my brother were sat waiting for news, but not feeling too worried. My grandad was 79 years old. He was relatively healthy, witty, sarcastic and a man with many stories to share. We never expected the sudden sadness that would visit our family.

My dad returned home very sad and stressed, but confident that it would be OK. Apparently he was chatting away, getting frustrated at the nurses and complaining at the discomfort of the oxygen mask he needed to wear.

The next day, I came to work without much concern. Fear was in the back of my mind, but I am very good at holding in my worry until I am alone and ready to let it out. My dad phoned me that morning letting me know that the doctors had called, asking to speak to him and my uncle at 3pm. I left work and drove to the hospital, waiting for my family. Entering the...