Dad speaks out about mental health struggle
ADAD has opened up about his mental health battle. Roger Boyd moved from Ireland back to his home town of Southport three years ago to help take care of his elderly parents.
One day while sitting on the couch having a conversation with his mum he “turned around and she had died”. Six months later his dad died.
Roger, who has ADHD, bipolar and Asperger’s and who was also battling chronic pain from three open back surgeries, said it all became too much.
He said he was on a “bipolar high” and had begun talking to himself.
His wife Rose back in Ireland became concerned after not hearing from her husband in two days and called the police.
Roger said: “I live on my own in Southport and it was becoming harder and harder to do the things I was supposed to do.
“Firstly you have to do what a normal person does which is shopping and cooking, keeping your flat clean and looking after yourself.
“I have had three open back surgeries for something called spinal stenosis where you get arthritis on the inside of the spine.
“It is one of those operations that has to be done because before I had the last one my legs had gone like sticks as they were not getting any blood supply and the nerves were not working properly.
“I was speaking to myself about things that are on my mind, I was thinking out loud like someone else was there which I have never done before it was very frightening.
“It is like having something wrong with your body but when it is your mind it scares you. It scared me a lot, I did not know what it was.”
Roger, 57, was then sectioned and taken to Southport hospital before being released in December last year.
Three months ago the dad-of-three was placed in Nightingale House in Bootle, a facility that aids those who have been discharged from the hospital after being placed there due to mental health issues.
Roger said his latest stint in the hospital was once again brought on by living alone.
He said: “When you are on your own it is very difficult to keep up a sort of level of ‘everything is okay’ and living on my own and I was fainting a lot and collapsing.
“That was due to a combination of not eating and drinking as I was depressed.
“Having Asperger’s is not a great problem but it has its quirks and it makes socialising quite difficult.
“ADHD is the one I have most profoundly and my mind never stops.
“For anyone having that combination would be a challenge but when you combine it with bipolar and the highs and lows, it’s an intense combination.
“I still have my underlying problems but my attitude is getting better and if you don’t manage them your brain can run away with itself.
“I have not had any manic episodes since I’ve been here but even if I did I would feel protected and safe.
“I don’t feel ready to head back out into the world yet.
“The way I’m benchmarking it is how I was doing the previous week and I want to get better.”