Sharingstoryofmymental healthagonyletsotherfolk knowthey’renotalone
As reported illness among the young reaches crisis levels, a novel approach to self-help could offer a happy ending
BY MARIA CROCE WHEN Lily Asch opened up about her mental health problems, she realised it led others to want to share their experiences too.
Three years ago, she gave a talk about the battles she’d faced – from seeing a therapist at 13 to self-harming, depression and being admitted to a psychiatric ward.
She’s since got involved in using storytelling to help break down stigma around mental health and help sufferers realise they’re not alone in facing problems.
Lily, from Edinburgh, has seen such a positive impact of storytelling she is now training to be a professional storyteller.
Research points to the therapeutic effects of storytelling in improving well-being and mental health.
A campaign which runs until the end of the month in Scotland is highlighting how storytelling has numerous benefits, from helping communities to communicate as well as offering a respite from stress.
And community groups and schools can apply for a £75 subsidy towards booking a professional storyteller – whether they want to hear uplifting stories or simply switch off for an hour, enjoying some tales or sharing their own.
The Local Storytelling Campaign is a creative outreach initiative organised by The Scottish Storytelling Forum and this year’s theme is Growing Stories. It’s focusing on storytelling being a transformative tool used for well-being and mental health.
And with thousands of Scottish children seeking help for mental health problems, it’s thought storytelling could be a potential help.
Recent figures reveal about 8000 children in Scotland with severe mental health problems are having to wait to see a specialist and more than 2000 of them have been waiting for more than 18 weeks.
Social anxiety affects almost one in three children, while 58 per cent of youngsters said a fear of making mistakes has led them to feel overwhelmed.
Lily grew up in America and remembers the mental health struggles she faced as a child. “It’s not always that clear moment when all of a sudden things become overwhelming – it’s more like a slow drip,” she said.
“When my parents got divorced when I was 13, I had to go to see a psychologist. I was self-harming and had been thinking about death and that was enough for them to think there’s something not right here. There were things happening beforehand but I’d been good at masking them.
“I was admitted to a psychiatric ward and diagnosed with major depressive disorder and medicated. I started what was a life-long journey of recovery and understanding what I’d been through and how to take care of yourself.
“Being in hospital was a pretty harrowing experience. It wasn’t a particularly nice place to see so many young people shoved together who were really suffering.
“I’ve changed and learned a lot and been through various different types of treatment. But that’s not to say I don’t still have to attend to my mental health and don’t have low points now. But it’s changed in the texture of it.”
She said she’s learned coping mechanisms and has a good support system around her. But at first she hid her mental health problems because of the stigma.
While at Edinburgh University, she got involved with a speaker development programme three years ago and decided to share her experience of mental health.
She delivered a TEDx Talk about her experience and found others could relate to her story – leading her to set up Real Talk social enterprise for people to feel safe about opening up about mental health.
In 2016, with a small grant from the Edinburgh University Student Association, she partnered with Dr Alette Willis, a storyteller and narrative researcher, to create workshops helping people to learn how to share their stories.
She has since run numerous storytelling evenings and is now training to become a professional storyteller too.
She said: “I think storytelling is an incredible tool.” During November, groups and schools can apply for a £75 subsidy towards booking a professional storyteller from The Storytelling Forum’s directory.
For more information, contact National Storytelling Co-ordinator, Miriam Morris at miriam@ tracscotland.org
When my parents got divorced when I was 13, I had to go to see a psychologist