Writing and talking about my life with a diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder
about
I'm an excitable, passionate, curious and creative person. I love to learn, explore, write, talk, draw and visit different places.
My life is unapologetically informed— and, without doubt, enriched— by my lived-experience of intense emotional distress.
I'm a person who feels emotions intensely, cares deeply about the relationships in my life and has lived through times of immense emotional distress.
I'm also a person who lives in a world that doesn't always understand, or feel comfortable with, people who experience themselves and the world in this way.
As a writer, I embrace emotional complexity and ambiguity. The social and relational aspects of living with the less-talked about aspects of mental health problems fascinate me:
✨Talking About Talking: How Metacommunication Can Create Safety When Talking About Mental Health
✨Why Are Mental Health Problems Often So Hard To Talk About?
✨'Nearly a third of Adults not comfortable sharing a diagnosis with a friend. Here's Why I Share
✨How 'Arts In Health' Helped me to 'Be Myself'
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I have an undergraduate degree in English Literature and a Master's degree in Medical Humanities. My academic work explores topics such as zines about emotional distress and how writers represent internal mental states and consciousness. I'm also member of the international editorial board for the BMJ Medical Humanities.
One of the biggest loves of my life is poetry. My poems have been performed in various theatres, spoken word events and workshops for people experiencing mental health difficulties. I'm working on a short collection right now.
My career is in teaching; I'm passionate about making education meaningful and enjoyable for everyone and I love to learn myself.
I live in the UK with my husband and our little girl. Rosie is my real first name, but Cappuccino is my pen name from my days of performing my spoken word poetry—I really do love coffee.