Reports

Make Them Aware


Reported by Karen

Published on Wednesday, June 8th, 2022

Mental Health Substance Use
Reports

Make Them Aware


Written by Karen

Published on Wednesday, June 8th, 2022

Mental Health

Substance Use

She lay in the foetal position,

Heart beating with a rapid thud,                                                                                           

Her hand placed over it so it wouldn’t burst through her chest.                           

Curtains still shut not sure if it was day or night and she didn’t care,                   

Phone on silent to keep the world at bay.                                                                         

Her hair wet through with sweat,                                                                                     

Her mouth dry as a bone,                                                                                           

Dehydrated but she couldn’t reach for a drink.                                                             

This is her Mental Health, her isolation, her anxiety, her loneliness, her worst nightmare.                     

This big black cloud that drapes itself around her without warning or permission

and because it’s invisible to others, because THEY don’t understand.                   

THEY judge, they find it awkward to discuss how she’s feeling

So they sweep it under the carpet and leave her to feel incomplete. 

Written by Karen


I'm Karen from Manchester it's great to meet you all. I'm a recovering alcoholic,
I experienced a short time of homelessness many years ago, I'm a survivor of domestic abuse and I'm happy to say I've come through it all.
I volunteered at a local Alcohol and Substance Abuse centre where I qualified as a Peer Mentor.
I now care for my elderly dad who is housebound and I feel blessed to be able and well enough to do this.
I hope as part of this Community Reporting team our stories can contribute to making a difference to homelessness and health inequalities and shine a light on any other injustices we come across.
 

Read all of Karen's articles

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Mental Health Substance Use

One thought on “Make Them Aware

  1. Your poem blew me away Karen. The honesty and what you say and how you say it the imagery …all had personal resonance for me as well made me reflect on how I relate to people I work with. Thank you

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