Crying Into the Saucepan

Well-known DJ Nikki Hayes has lived most of her life with Border-line Personality Disorder (BPD), a serious mental disorder marked by a pattern of on-going instability in mood, behaviour and self-image. BPD is also associated with severe functional impairment and high rates of suicide. Nikki should have been diagnosed aged 15, the first time she came in contact with the mental health services with anorexia; or aged 19, after an attempted suicide; or, if not then, when she was diagnosed with post-natal depression aged 34. Instead, each time she was given a different diagnosis, none fully explaining her symptoms or actions. Nikki believes her illness went undetected for so long because a lot of how she was feeling and acting was easily explained by lumping it under the umbrella term of 'depression', or simply attributing it to attention seeking or just being a little out of control. By sharing her story Nikki hopes to help others see that they are not alone and encourage greater support for people suffering with mental health issues in Ireland. Book jacket.