A podcast addressing self-harm, psychosis and borderline personality disorder is aiming to help psychiatric patients though digital connection.
On the Ward, which aired its first episode in June, gives online listeners an exclusive insight into life as an inpatient – opening new channels for understanding.
Presenter John Barry Waldron follows a new willing patient each week who will talk openly on air about life at St Andrew’s Healthcare.
Digital hope for psychiatric patients
Patient Vicky became the first to open up about her journey to recovery via the podcast platform. She chose to open up about her journey from substance abuse, personality disorder and ‘schizoaffective’ disorder (a combination of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder).
Having also disclosed just how bad her mental health had got prior to receiving hospital treatment, she hopes her experience can help others by sharing on the podcast.
She said: “When I was going through the psychosis it was really scary because at one point I thought I had rats in my stomach. I wouldn’t eat, I wouldn’t drink, I wouldn’t shower and I didn’t do that for a couple of months.
“I’ve had hallucinations where I thought people were flying in the sky trying to catch me. Now when I look back it doesn’t seem all that scary, but at the time it was really frightening and very real to me.
“But anger was my main issue because I thought everything could be solved by lashing out, which I’ve realised isn’t the case, it gets you nowhere. ”
Tech to cope with NHS waiting lists
The NHS is struggling to cope with demand, and mental health patients are frequently made to wait months if not years for the treatment they need. Having recently admitted a 6.6M backlog, it’s becoming more apparent that tech such as virtual wards, AI and remote care is the main go-to for a solution.
The podcast, though not an advanced tech solution, still offers a digital remedy for patients in need of care.
Vicky – along with five other St Andrew’s Healthcare patients – have bravely decided to share their complex mental health recovery journeys for the podcast. They have waived their right to anonymity to raise awareness, break the stigma commonly associated with mental health issues and to encourage people to talk more openly about their struggles.
Positive feedback
John-Barry, Senior Staff Nurse who worked at Northampton’s St Andrew’s Healthcare for 15 years, said: “This is the third series of On the Ward, which has been hugely popular so far.
“The feedback I’ve had from people at home is that they are fascinated hearing from patients who have experienced the extreme aspects of mental health.
“In recent years we’ve become better at having conversations about depression and anxiety, but conditions such as schizoaffective disorder, psychosis and personality disorders still remain relatively unspoken about. We hope On the Ward is showing listeners that our patients are just normal people that, for whatever reason, have become mentally unwell.
“It was important to us – and the patients – that we show people how far secure psychiatric hospitals have come. There is still a stigma attached to complex mental health, which I think may revolve around straitjackets and padded cells.
“This couldn’t be further from the truth.”
From podcast to recovery
He added: “Once patients start to show signs of improvement they are given free time away from the wards. It is done in a measured and slow way, that meets the patient’s own recovery pace, while also ensuring their safety is the number one priority at all times.
Once they’ve built up their confidence, we have patients who regularly volunteer, go swimming and generally try to integrate themselves back into the community.”
This is the first time the podcast has gone out and about with patients. The previous series, which attracted more than 20,000 downloads, focused on interviewing each individual within the hospital setting.
The podcast can be found via web browsers such as Chrome, Safari and Microsoft Edge or podcast apps, such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google Podcasts.
