This Mental Health Week, LMWS Coproduction Coordinator Beth shares her own experiences around getting mental health support and how you can join the Coproduction Network to make positive changes to mental health systems in Leeds.
During Mental Health Awareness Week 2023 – and every other week! – Leeds Mental Wellbeing Service Coproduction Network are considering our own experiences with mental health difficulties.
I’ve struggled with my mental health in various ways since my early teens, and still find that some days are harder than others – though I’ve learned different ways of managing this over time. It took me almost a decade to seek help for my mental health, and I wonder whether I’d have done so sooner if I’d had more awareness and was surrounded by less stigma at the time.
In the Coproduction Network, and across Touchstone, we see lived experience as something valuable. Each member of our Coproduction Network brings their own expertise, and we use our individual backgrounds to contribute to the design and delivery of Leeds Mental Wellbeing Service. Sharing experiences can also have a huge positive impact on someone else’s recovery, and we are able to support one another and work together towards reducing stigma further.
Leeds Mental Wellbeing Service Coproduction Network is open to anyone in Leeds with experience of mental health difficulties, or supporting others through them (either personally or professionally). You can register your interest here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSduL2PW4frsWjlNi0SC9J7wM0pxNzQqyoChpxUFebQYaa3hQQ/viewform?usp=sf_link
If you’d like to find out more about our coproduction projects, you can follow us on social media:
