A mum who has tried to take her life 18 times wants people to know they are "not alone" after turning her life around.
Claire Hale, 37, was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder in 2021 but said she has struggled with her mental health since the age of 13. Claire said after an abusive relationship in her teenage years she would deal with stressful situations through self-harm.
For Claire everyday activities like the school run could cause her to self-harm. Claire claims she was passed from "pillar to post" by different doctors who would just "put her on medication".
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Speaking to the ECHO she said: "I struggle with my emotions when trying to deal with day-to-day life. What other people may find a normal situation can cause me a lot of stress and then I self-harm and sometimes I don’t know how a survived the day.
"From 13 up until now I have probably had 18 attempts on my own life and each time the NHS has put me on a waiting list, it has been a rollercoaster over the years and I was let down. I can pinpoint times when my mental health would suffer.
"First off I was in an abusive relationship and that affected me greatly. More recently, I lost my mum, and if you combine that with my BDP things can become very challenging."
Claire said things hit a boiling point last year when her self-harm was becoming "severe" and she had "every intention of ending" her life. However, she said things began to change when she realised she was "not alone."
She said: "The week before I reached out for help my self-harm was becoming really bad and I have three children and I kept thinking about them. BDP will always be a part of my life but that does not mean it has to define who I am. There are people out there who can help.
Claire reached out to Bigmoose a charity that works to improve people's mental health and suicide prevention. She said that after seven weeks of therapy she was given "lifelong skills on how to cope" with her mental health and is now campaigning for others to do the same.
She said: "People just need to know they are not on their own and there is someone out there who cares. I put trust in my therapist and for the first time, I saw things begin to change. Even though I have slipped up once or twice I have seen more of the good things in life than the bad.
"Getting help has made me look at things differently about, my house, my family and we are laughing more than we are crying now. If I had not reached out and got that help for my children we would not be sitting here today having this conversation. There are so many people like me who feel like there is nobody out there but I just want people to know there is."
Big Moose aims to help people with their mental health and prevent suicide by providing therapy to people who need it. Every client is "treated as an individual" and they are referred to the best suited therapist based on their needs. If anyone would like more information about Big Moose it can be found here.
You can find out about mental health support services near you on the NHS website. The Samaritans helpline is avilable 24/7 on 116123.
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