MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT AND ADVICE - GETTING CHELSEA FANS OVER THE LINE TO A BETTER PLACE
Mental Health Experiences of Chelsea Fans
On this page are a selection of films featuring fellow Chelsea fans who talk about their experiences of poor mental health, how they sought help and where they are in their journey. We are very grateful to all participants for speaking openly about their experiences and we hope that hearing their stories may resonate with you.
Rebecca's Story
As a child, Rebecca suffered bullying that led to self-esteem and confidence issues. A depressed child became an even more complex and anxious adult and her difficulties were exacerbated by the crushing loss of a precious family member. Rebecca talks about her turning point, the moment she decided to fight back.
Luke's Story
After a life of hiding behind alcohol, an addiction that took him to the brink of disaster, Luke found his way to sobriety and greater contentment. In this short film he talks about how he deals with worry, with relationships and how he focuses on the things he can control, and not those that he can't.
Mark's Story
Mark's problems began with some health issues, which caused him anxiety and worry. This in turn began to affect his sleeping patterns and triggered a vicious cycle of depression, panic and profound fatigue. His difficulties continued long after his health issues were resolved. Things began to become very difficult from that point, changing his perceptions of the world around him, causing him to blame and shame himself for his health problems. He reached crisis point believing the world and his family might be better off without him, but found the courage to reach out to his GP. He also began to meet - and go for long walks - with trusted friends; from that point, his life began to improve.
Andy's Story
After some relationship issues, Andy couldn't work out why he had begun to withdraw from his friends, feel very anxious and depressed nor want to be in any kind of social situation. The issues deepened over time and culminated in Andy contemplating taking his own life. Andy eventually decided to fight and began a course of psychotherapy, as well as reaching out to the Chelsea community. Today, he has to work hard to maintain his equilibrium, but he is recovering and in a much better place. Andy has also begun a course in psychotherapy so that he too can help others in future.
Scott's Story
It started for me in my late teens in the early nineties. This is when anxiety first really started to impact my life and I began to have panic attacks as well as avoiding certain situations for fear of having an attack. Situations which I couldn’t avoid - and that could trigger me - would leave me with crushing anxiety for days and even weeks. Typically, I didn’t tell anyone and it felt like I was the only person experiencing what I was going through.
