Getting back to everyday life after a mental illness
The stigma of mental illness can often make things like going back to work and re-establishing social relationships difficult. This was the experience of Liz Miller, a successful neurosurgeon who developed bipolar disorder and was sectioned, spending the next ten years in and out of psychiatric hospitals. She felt she could no longer be employed at the level she was at before her illness. She now works part-time as an Occupational Health Physician, helping others to get back to work after illness. She also founded the Doctors’ Support Network, and was voted the Mind Champion of the Year 2008. She talks to Jane about the challenges of rejoining the world following her illness, and is joined by the writer and former psychiatric patient Clare Allan, who has also had to battle to get her life back on track.
