A Belfast woman has released a diary of the experience she had being admitted to a mental health ward and shared her thoughts on the "treatment" she received.
Speaking to Belfast Live, Niamh said: "Five years ago I found myself really struggling with depression, anxiety and an eating disorder and felt that I had no other option other than being admitted onto a mental health ward. "A lack of funding and staff on the wards is clearly having a huge impact on the service that is available for patients and during most of the time that I was there I felt like I was in a holding cell, waiting out the time until medical staff felt like I was no longer a danger to myself.
Niamh says that her mental health has now recovered in the five years since leaving the mental health ward and credits the support she has received from local charities who provided therapy sessions and assistance to help her. "While it can be quite dark and harrowing to read in places, it is ultimately a story of hope and recovery. I hope that it can be used by others to understand what mental health patients are going through and how we respond to the treatments we are given in hospital.