At the Mental Health Foundation we welcome a wealth of stories from supporters and individuals with personal mental health stories from all ages, genders and backgrounds. Your stories enable more people to recognise the importance of looking after their mental health and gives them a reason to talk more openly about their struggles and road to recovery.
Read our inspiring supporter stories
Amy’s story
I always wondered growing up what exactly healthy relationships were, what they looked like, and how I could achieve them. Before I was brought into foster care when I was 9, my mum was in an abusive relationship with my stepdad, in which I was also abused.

Ben’s story
Ben talks about the loss of his mother to suicide and his choice to support the Mental Health Foundation to help raise awareness and money and his latest challenge.
H’s story
I'm H, I'm 20 years old and I'm writing this blog to talk about how mental health and healthy relationships coexist together.

Jess’s story
Have you ever had that dream where you’re falling? You awake with a start and a feeling of unease in the pit of your stomach.

Justyn’s story
I had an accident when I was one which left me with third degree burns. I grew up in a household with a history of domestic violence and there was always a very tense and controlling atmosphere in the air.

Jolie’s story
I’m an artist living in South London with my husband and two children. I wanted to write about the experience of being a survivor of the psychiatric system and the long-term physical health condition, Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

Katie’s story
I am not a laid back person. I never have been. I worry and get stressed and can be quite negative sometimes. Last year, this started to get slowly worse.

Nicole’s story
Once past the Nurse’s Station, you’d be forgiven for thinking you were in a two or three-star hotel.

Rachel’s story
Rachel is a young mum to her young daughter, Olivia. She says being a young mum can be tough for various reasons and the statistics back that up: young mums are at increased risk of isolation and depression.

Sabina’s story
In 2009, when I was 18 years old, my father took his own life. He stepped in front of a high-speed train, two minutes from our house at 7:30am.

Yasha’s story
It is often said that in the darkest moments of our lives, one glimmer of hope calls out to us. However, the cloud under which we live seems like it will never pass. Every difficult minute takes its toll and the downward spiral just continues.

Mental Health Awareness Week 2022 on the theme of loneliness

Amanda’s story: Find your folk
Amanda talks about being neurodiverse, having a diagnosis of Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder (EUPD) and the stigma that she experienced. "Finding your folk" and "people like me" went a long way in helping her to cope with her many challenges.

April’s story: Experience the world
When April talked to us, she described her feelings of loneliness, both as a child and as an adult. It felt almost natural to feel that way. Then, after a few weeks of lockdown, she felt the 'novelty' of lockdown was replaced with a sense of deprivation or a "fog". Having a dog is a great excuse for betting outside and April found it was a good conversation starter.

Ashleigh’s story: Putting down roots
Ashleigh talks about life in Scotland, coping with physical and mental health conditions, being a victim of voyeurism and the help she got from her connections with local LGBT groups. Ashleigh says "Talking to people and joining groups have provided me with a lot of reassurance and encouragement. It’s helped me to feel less lonely and part of a community, and that’s made all the difference."

Carol’s story: There should be no shame in how we feel
As the lockdown restrictions eased, Carol's lack of friends and family meant that she really didn't have anyone to support her or empathise with how she was feeling. She talks about the things she did, like having a walk in the park and getting a dog, had a huge effect in dealing with her feelings of loneliness. As Carol says "there's nothing to be ashamed of in feeling this way."

Dean’s story: Big Steps Forward
Dean tells us how, even though he was surrounded by a full life and loving family, being furloughed during the pandemic his feelings of loneliness started to grow and his mental health "took a hit".

Fox’s story: In the sticks
Fox talks about being disabled and the feeling of loneliness being isolated in a rural setting, together with being queer and trans. Not being able to connect with his friends who lived far away had a huge effect on his mental health.

Gabi’s story: Feeling heard makes things much better
In this story, Gabi tells us how turning 30 was a bit of a milestone for her. But alongside the celebration and her happy feelings of being loved by so many, her life wasn't matching up to her expectations.

Iona’s story: Forming your identity
Iona talks about the challenges of being autistic and her feelings of loneliness after leaving school to go to university. Being outside your 'comfort zone' also had an effect on her mental health, but as she says in her story, "starting with small things can help". Volunteering and starting dance classes were her way of starting out on that journey.

Larysa’s story: Somebody needs you
Larysa talks about her experience of arriving in the UK after the conflict in Eastern Ukraine, not having any friends in her new home in Cardiff and connecting with another refugee from Yemen. Finding someone who knew how she felt helped her start to rebuild trust.

Libby’s story: Active mind, active thoughts
I’m Libby, I’m 22 and I live near Wakefield. For the last four years, I have worked as a carer in the community. I have experienced loneliness myself and also amongst those I helped throughout the pandemic, many people’s mental health deteriorated during this time.

Rachel’s story: Great outdoors
Rachel talks about relationship breakdown and the loneliness of living as a single mum. She talks about the isolation she felt and the lack of physical contact, as well as the company of other adults. She says "To anyone suffering from loneliness, I’d say talk."

Rhoda’s story: Someone to listen
As an asylum-seeker at a young age along with her family, Rhoda talks about her feelings of loneliness and the effects of culture change when she arrived in the UK. She has support and love from her husband and children and went to university, as well as joining volunteer groups that help other asylum-seekers.

Rhyana’s story: In a bubble
Rhyana talks about how her feelings of loneliness got worse when she was studying at university and working full-time at the same time. Most of her friends didn't have children as she did, so it was hard to find people who understood how she felt. Joining groups helped hugely but also that it takes time.

Talia’s story: It takes a village
Talia first experienced loneliness when she moved away from her family to study at university. She talks about her feelings and how they got worse during the pandemic lockdowns.
Related Stories
Healthy relationships stories
Hear from Amy and H talking about their own experiences of navigating relationships and what they have learned along the way.
Kindness stories
In 2020 we ran a UK-wide campaign on Kindness during Mental Health Awareness Week, the largest annual conversation on mental health - hear more from individuals on what kindness meant to them.
Learn more
Green Ribbon stories
Hear from some of our supporters on why they wear our Green Ribbon pin badge and what it means to them.
Find out more