ONE of the hundreds of people in Worcestershire suffering from severe mental health problems has described his daily struggle as “a storm”.

Every day Peter – one of the patients treated by Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust (WHCT) – battles the debilitating effects of schizophrenia. He believes strangers in the street are out to get him, that he is being sent coded messages through the television or newspaper and is only able to escape by burying himself in his duvet with his earphones in, listening to his favourite songs.

Describing the symptoms as “like a storm”, Peter said: “You just wait it out until it passes.”

As part of today’s World Mental Health Day WCHT is advising anyone concerned they or someone they know is suffering from a mental health problem to speak to their GP as soon as possible.

Peter – who is in his 30s but was first diagnosed with mental health problems when he was a teenager – said he had benefitted greatly from the support he had been offered, including being helped to redecorate his bedroom to make it a more relaxing environment.

Clinical psychologist at WHCT – which provides the majority of mental health services in the county and is currently running a month of activities and campaigns raising awareness of the issue – Dr Tom Barker said there was a vast degree of variation in the severity, duration and nature of symptoms experienced by schizophrenia patients and it was important to tailor treatment accordingly.

In an effort to treat the problem as soon as it arises, the trust runs an Early Intervention for Psychosis service working with people aged between 14 and 35 who have experienced their first episode of psychosis and recently introduced a peer support worker scheme - where people who have themselves experienced mental health problems are trained to draw upon their experiences to help patients in their recovery.

Dr Barker said: “This is part of a wider service development programme called the Big Recovery.

“The vision behind this initiative is to see service users taking more control of their treatment and recovery and determining their future goals and direction.

“One of the important messages of hope behind the Big Recovery is that even if symptoms and experiences of psychosis persist, it is still possible for service users to travel in their chosen direction and to live life well.”

It is estimated that one in every hundred people in the UK suffer from schizophrenia and about three per cent of people in Worcestershire have some form of psychosis – the umbrella term for a group of related mental health problems including schizophrenia. More than 60 new cases of the condition are diagnosed in the county every year.

Symptoms of schizophrenia can be both positive, such as a person having inflated beliefs about themselves, or negative, including lack of motivation or becoming withdrawn but someone with the condition is unlikely to be violent as a direct consequence of their mental condition.

For more information on Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust’s Mental Health Awareness Month visit www.hacw.nhs.uk/mentalhealthmonth.