Linda has always been a champion of mental health issues, fighting the stigma and prejudice that forces people to hide mental health problems.

‘If I had cancer, or lung disease, people would make allowances for the odd day needing medical treatment or feeling unwell, but somehow people judge what they cannot see and understand, and condemn mental problems as a sign of personality weakness’

She has battled with her own ‘demons’ as she calls her mental health problems throughout her life; as a child struggling with self harm and what she strongly identified as manic depression, through to years of psychotherapy and counselling from various models as an adult in her mid-life. She finally received a diagnosis of bi-polar II in her forties which was a relief after battling misdiagnosis and wrong prescriptions.

Linda still fights the prejudice which pops up frequently about those with mental health problems being told they shouldn’t work with vulnerable people. In the more psycho-sociologically-enlightened United States, these issues are more fully explored in a mature way; but in the UK and Asia, mental health issues still carry much more of a stigma, something Linda fights with her openness about her own condition.

‘Why is mental illness treated with such distinction from physical illness?’ She so often questions. ‘If I had cancer, or lung disease, people would make allowances for the odd day needing medical treatment or feeling unwell, but somehow people judge what they cannot see and understand, and condemn mental problems as a sign of personality weakness where they would never do that about cancer or high blood pressure. We have a long way to go before mental health problems are better understood in the context of professional work. I am convinced that I am a better psycho-social worker for my personal suffering, than someone who blocks their feelings and believes they have no mental health issues at all. Everyone has some level of issues at different times. Even the healthiest person can catch flu or break a leg, feel overwhelmed or panicky. I await the time when mental health problems are given the same objectivity that physical problems have.’

‘I don’t think personal independence is desirable or practical. God made us all different in order to require team working in life.’

Despite years of fighting suicidal ideation Linda has managed to achieve far more than many who have ‘normal’ mental health, including going into an active war zone to support workers coming out of the battlefield. ‘Yes I suffer; yes sometimes it is hell on earth inside my head; yes sometimes I need extra TLC (tender loving care) and support from others; but I think it is worth it for what I give to others. On a good day, I like to think I am like an egg – a life-bringer and full of nourishment for others, but very fragile. Look after me well and you get many rewards – but treat me roughly and I easily crack. I don’t see what is so difficult about that compared with some of the ‘potatoes’ in society who don’t need much support but don’t necessarily contribute much either!’ Linda is passionate about a co-operative society where people do rely and lean on each other. ‘I am not afraid to ask for help. Some people see this as a weakness or an imposition – but I think that is how society is designed. My life is dedicated to helping others. I don’t think personal independence is desirable or practical. God made us all different in order to require team working in life. We cannot function to our best alone. so i don’t mind asking and seeking for help for myself im times of need.’

This is why I am so passionate about my ‘Love and Laughter’ therapy – it works! It heals! It lights up the deadened traumatised life with love and laughter and leads people into hope for the future – what can be better than that?! ‘

Linda considers that psychology is in its infancy compared with medical science, and the current training for both counselling and psychiatrists is phenomenally inadequate and under-researched. ‘I have experienced terrible practice in counselling and psychology in the UK – counsellors who are cold as ice to maintain objectivity and then ask for a hug later; therapists who are so boundary-driven they have pushed me out of the door when I was still weeping inconsolably wanting to die, because the time is up; young people who cry and swear about their counsellors because they don’t react properly and only ask questions or go into the problem too quickly and hurt the child. This is why I am so passionate about my ‘Love and Laughter’ therapy – it works! It heals! It lights up the deadened traumatised life with love and laughter and leads people into hope for the future – what can be better than that?! ‘

‘After four years of my own psychotherapy I was left feeling ‘SO WHAT?! How does this help me move forward in my life?’ I don’t want anyone else to feel that. I want people who have suffered disasters, loss, war, abuse, trauma, poverty, to look forward and see a path ahead of them and feel ‘Yes I can get there – it is possible and worth the struggle’ – that is what my life is about!

‘I am thankful that my husband David has supported me through the worst of my illness in the last decades. He took some time to realise and understand the severity of my illness, but once he did, he was the one who researched and found the articles on bi-polar II from the US – something not really understood over here, as when the manic episodes don’t conform to a very small list of criteria in the UK it is dismissed as only depression. David showed that is not true, and the psychiatrist finally agreed. This is critical for prescribing, as many anti depressants actually make the manic side worse which I had found – but again in diagnosis we are fighting the ignorance of only a hundred years of research. It feels like medieval medicine the way they experiment in our brains with a few basic diagnosis and remedies. Nothing has really worked for me – kindness has been the best panacea throughout my worst times, and sadly that is not always what the profession practises. I have learned to live with my mental health issues – I have learnt to recognise warning signs and act on them, which is difficult sometimes when those around me won’t listen to some adjustments I need to make before the situation gets critical. I had a very difficult trip this last one in late 2013 to Sri Lanka where I knew that a few vital psychological needs were not being met and I could feel myself getting more and more fragile, but I was unable to even find the companionship and kindness I needed. It was very tough but I made it through and preserved the work intact, however much I suffered internally.’

‘At the end of the day you only have two choices: learn to live with it, or give up the fight. And I plan to keep fighting.’

The sad thing was that again some people challenge whether you should really be stacking shelves in supermarkets instead of ‘putting yourself through all that’ but this attitude makes Linda angry. ‘People applaud most people who struggle through adversity to achieve something. I have devoted my life and energy to making a life-changing difference to other people – is that worth giving up and stacking shelves just because I have some times which are hell on earth? If someone climbs Everest or walks to the South Pole – people understand it is a life threatening, agonising, tough journey and value the feat all the more. That is how I see my life. It has times of great agony – where I am not sure I will make it through; but better that than the times I am hiding in front of daytime TV not suffering so much but not achieving either. Anything worthwhile in this life comes with a cost. Maybe those who find life easy just don’t want to achieve very much. I don’t want to live like that. As the phrase says ‘Better a day as a tiger(or lion) than a thousand years as a sheep’. I just wish people would value the struggle and not condemn so easily. It rocks my self confidence however much I try not to allow it to get to me. Critical people are what destroy me, and that’s what I have to fight against to keep my sanity. But whenever I want to see if I am doing the right thing – I just need to read some of my evaluations and letters I get from young people and adults who have been on the receiving end of my work. Then I know the critics are the fools. But they still have the power to destroy me at my weakest times. And not being able to shut out their influence, that’s what makes me despair of myself sometimes.’

Linda cannot help seeing mental health issues as related to strong creativity.

‘So many people throughout history who have achieved a lot have struggled with mental health problems. The brain is programmed on ‘fast’ setting and sometimes we cannot cope with the results. Then you can burn out and spiral downwards into depression. It is a circle that becomes exhausting. Over-thinking is one problem – and it really doesn’t help when people tell you to stop thinking so much! If I could stop my thoughts coming so fast, I would gladly do it. It is most painful because the ‘enemy’ as it were, is inside; and that’s what can move you into feeling suicidal – how to get off this rollercoaster that is so agonising and causes others to despise you and you to lose your confidence so easily?’

A condition for life, Linda sees no end to the difficulties and sadly, the prejudices. She knows even including this honest section on her website may cause some problems for her in the future, but considers her openness and the openness of others a vital necessity in the fight to educate the ignorant.

‘At the end of the day you only have two choices: learn to live with it, or give up the fight. And I plan to keep fighting.’