Community

The 10th of October is World Mental Health Day and as part of the day, I wanted to share some of the mental health challenges people in our communities have told me over the years. Podcast: Mental health and poetry - one man's story I start with a frank interview with aspiring poet Tetteh-Kwesi who lives with dyspraxia and undiagnosed psychosis . He talks about how he has had to grapple with understanding his conditions, navigating manhood, relationships and how he has been received by the NHS and the police. He talks about his love of poetry and how writing poems has helped his to navigate this often challenging world. Click here to listen to his story. Blog: Misdiagnosis and mental health - one mother's journey In this piece, mum-of-two Jayne talks about her journey to discover why her perfect daughter Ann-Marie was initially misdiagnosed by the health authorities. She also talks about her faith, determination and the foresight of a Ghanaian doctor resul...

Misdiagnosis delayed one London-born teenager’s treatment for Asperger Syndrome by 17 years until a chance visit to a doctor in Ghana changed her life for the better. Mother and Child  © Agnali "Ann-Marie was born in 1998 and she was always an active and alert baby. I remember my aunty commenting on it,” her mother Jayne said. “But I thought that was positive.” At six weeks old, Ann-Marie stopped sleeping in the afternoon and it was increasingly difficult to keep her still. As she grew older, her behaviour became more unusual.  “I remember on her first day at nursery, her teacher asked me if she had sight or co-ordination problems. My husband and I had her assessed but she didn't. "By the time she was four years old, her cousin, who was also her best friend, left the nursery. That was the first time that I saw that she struggled. She wasn’t sleeping well at night and would wake up and stand at the foot of the bed and ask: ‘did I do something wron...

Autism – the mental condition that affects the way people communicate and form relationships – does not discriminate. I realised this all too keenly after being invited to a fundraising evening by the founder of London-based autism charity A2ndvoice. Venessa Bobb founder of A2ndvoice ©  Anthony Ayakwah The event, organised by Simply Mayfair on 25 January 2017 at Tom's Kitchen in Chelsea, brought together people from all walks of life that have been touched in some way by the condition. A2ndvoice founder Venessa Bobb launched her charity in May 2012 after her middle child – Nathaniel – was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and autism. As with many parents before her, Bobb struggled to find adequate information on the condition or support. She resorted to forming A2ndvoice as a way of helping other carers bridge the gap in meeting these needs and is now chair of the National Autistic Society's Lambeth Autism Group.    Her event w...

*Kofi* has never been able to string more than two words together until two weeks ago when he uttered his first full sentence. No big deal for most 12-year-olds but Kofi is different – he’s autistic. 'Lullaby' by Peter Ngugi Ghose © photographed by MisBeee Writes A utism is a developmental brain condition that affects people’s ability to communicate, and influences how sufferers process the world around them. More specifically people with autism may have some difficulties forming friendships, comprehending others’ perspectives and displaying affection. But they also have amazing gifts and talents. The condition affects one in 100 people in the UK’s 6.3 million population, which means that over 100,000 people living with the condition come from black or ethnic minority communities, according to the National Autistic Society.  Despite this figure, African communities are less likely to seek early diagnosis and face more of an uphill struggle trying to ...