A Norfolk man who suffered from psychosis in his twenties has been helping new research to ensure the right help is put in place.
Craig Mackie has also been taking part in a series of interviews to help the work, which highlights the importance of offering help as quickly as possible.
Craig’s story
He developed psychosis and was helped by the Early Intervention service run by the Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust (NSFT) for three years.
During this time, he was asked to be part of a study to look at how much getting early intervention can support patients.
It led to him getting a role as a peer support worker with NSFT to use his own experiences to help others.
He said: “Being part of this study changed my life. Having psychosis can be debilitating and there is a lot of stigma attached to it.
“I hadn’t worked for several years, was not leaving the house and not seeing family or friends. Early intervention helped me get out and about more and get back to work.”
He said the most helpful thing for him had been meeting people going through a similar experience knowing that he was not being judged.
What did the research look at?
It looked at first episodes of psychosis and demonstrated that the earlier an intervention is carried out, the better the outcome for the person using the service.
It also looked at:
- What can put young people off addressing their mental health, such as lack of inclusion of family and friends in discussions about treatments.
- How staff interact with young people.
- The support young people would like from staff around their goals and treatment choices.
Since the results were published, Craig has been involved in media interviews for TV and radio, a podcast and a blog.
“I was asked if I was happy to talk about the research and thought I had nothing to lose,” he said. “It highlights psychosis in positive way.”
Reaction
NSFT deputy chief executive officer and chief medical officer Faisil Sethi said: “The best way to drive improvements in services is to include the people who have used them.
“Craig’s input into this important piece of work shows why the service user voice is paramount in moving towards becoming a safer, kinder and better organisation.”
You can read more about the programme at www.likemind.nhs.uk
