It was 2011 when I became ill. This story is an insight into my experience of psychosis, depression, and anxiety.

So how did this happen? Well, I had nearly completed my teacher training, and although I had looked after my family during this time as best I could, I had neglected my mental health. For this I would spend two weeks in a mental health unit in the hospital and will probably take medication for the rest of my life.

New contracts had been issued at work and I was already in a heightened state of stress. The contracts were incorrect and I had worked hard to get them changed; in fact, many of the staff had set up an email group. School had finished for the summer and I failed to rest as I poured over the emails. Quickly a conspiracy theory developed in my head. This theory involved the safety of my children and government agents in an elaborate plot.

The day I was taken to Accident and Emergency in a police car, I thought I had it all worked out, but it would be years before I came to terms with what actually had happened. The first part of this book looks at how quickly I was taken to the hospital and describes what I remember about my stay there, and indeed, how necessary it was.

The second part looks at a few years later, at a time when the whole world seemed to be going mad with people dressed up as clowns running around scaring people and people trying to ram cars to get insurance money. It was up to me to remain calm and to carry on at my job. My anxiety tablets were helping, but I could feel anxiety running through my veins at some points.

Living day by day helped, and talking things through with my colleagues. We were all in the same boat, and surely things could only get better. There had been numerous cutbacks at my school, and this hadn't helped student behavior and workload. The final part brings in science and looks at the detailed reasons for my poor mental health and the steps I could take to improve it.

This is book one of the Voice for Anxiety series.