Claudette's Story

Claudette's Story of hearing voices and finding the support she needs

Sometimes when I’m hearing voices, they are really hard to get rid of and I have suicidal thoughts. When I go out, because I often do my own rituals in public, people stare at me and say I’m mad. I need a space where I could be around people who understood.

I have been attending the Hearing Voices group in Brent for about a year or so now. Beforehand I was seeing a psychiatrist every two weeks but I didn’t feel like I was getting anything out of it. When they referred me to the Hearing Voices group, everything changed.

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Coming together with the group brings me such great joy and it has really helped me in life. When you hear voices, you have to explain it to everyone you meet. But the members of the group understand who you are, what you are going through and how you are feeling.

Being part of a group who are in the same situation as me has been life-changing.

Before coronavirus, the group came together a week, every Tuesday and every Friday. Now we’re still coming together but we’re doing so online, via video call. I think it’s even better now. We share things we didn’t share in person and everyone gets a chance to speak when we’re on a video call.

I still do hear voices and sometimes it makes me really sad. But when I consider that other people are in the same situation as me, it gives me a boost. To know I have friends in the group who are going through it too gives me strength. I reflect on what they have taught me, and I think to myself: “Claudette, you are not alone.”

I really look forward to hopping online every week. I’m overwhelmed with happiness that they managed to put the service online as a video call so quickly. I don’t know what would have happened without it. When you can see each other live, speak to each other and share advice, it keeps you going.

The group really changed my life. I always think that we are united as one together. We will get well together.

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