I’ve been turned down by over 100 therapists. Although some turned me down due to lack of availability, a significant… more
Year: 2021
Abolition Medicine: Dismantling Carceral Logics in Healthcare
![Graphic reading "Abolition Medicine: Dismantling Carceral Logics in Healthcare" in black text on a beige background with multicoloured shapes in the corner](https://www.nsun.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Esther-1.png)
As a child, I was gravely ill with pyloric stenosis, a congenital stomach malformation. Most cases are diagnosed very early… more
Eating Disorder Treatment is Broken, and Only Abolition Can Fix It
![Text reading "Eating disorder treatment is broken and only abolition can fix it" on a beige background with colourful shapes in the corners.](https://www.nsun.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Roisin.png)
In 1973, two IRA volunteers, sisters Marian and Dolours Price, began a hunger strike to protest their treatment by the… more
Abolition of State Power, Regardless of the Uniform
![](https://www.nsun.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Liv-Ros-1.png)
Patriarchy, capitalism, and white supremacy have long defined the conditions and visuals of guilt. These power structures project guilt onto… more
Why disability justice is a mental health conversation, and mental health is a disability justice conversation
![Arms raised to the sky, either with their hands in fists or holding up protest boards. One protest board is red, and reads “Diversity and Ability- celebrate difference.” The other is blue, and reads “Paving the way for a future where everyone is welcomed and included”.](https://www.nsun.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/DA-21-test-1920x1453-1.jpg)
Ellie Thompson from Diversity and Ability unpacks how mental ill-health, distress and trauma intersect with disablement. As a social enterprise… more
Red flags in funding for grassroots groups (and how to improve) – vlogs
Listen to Beth, Debbie, Hameed, Jessica, Sylvia and Taimour, NSUN members whose grassroots organisations received Side By Side grants, discuss… more
“The women we were helping wouldn’t go anywhere but us”: Interview with Leah Chikamba, Founder of Angels of Hope
![A group photograph by Angels of Hope for Women](https://www.nsun.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/DSC_3238-scaled-1.jpg)
What would make a massive difference is more specific funding for BAME-led organisations like ourselves…… more
The Hamster Wheel Challenge: Funding & Sustainability for Grassroots Groups
![A stock photo of someone in a white tshirt holding a small jigsaw globe. Read bold text reads "Funding and sustainability" and black text underneath this reads "the never-ending scramble for grassroots orgs survival"](https://www.nsun.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/sk.png)
With a lack of core costs funding sustainability is a pipe dream. Yet, most funders DO NOT cover core costs. Some funders even refuse to fund overheads…. more
Let’s Talk ‘One Person Show’ Syndrome & Grassroots Community Work
![Photo of Taimour standing in front of purple flowers in a peach colour tshirt](https://www.nsun.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/ta2.jpeg)
What I have found since venturing into mental health work full-time is that because I care so deeply about the work, the boundaries have become a lot more blurred…. more
Book review – David Harewood’s ‘Maybe I Don’t Belong Here’
![A picture of the front cover of Maybe I Don't Belong Here](https://www.nsun.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/dh2.png)
David Harewood, ‘Maybe I Don’t Belong Here’ Published by Pan Macmillan ISBN 978-1-529064-13-1 Reviewed by NSUN member David Gibbs This… more
Section Zero (indefinite exclusion)
I imagine my past medical notes to be a charge sheet. The charge is that I am dependent, difficult and a time waster. I have no right of reply or appeal. Clinical opinion can never be challenged or erased…. more
My experience of the Community Rehabilitation Service
![a photograph of a rusty horseshoe hanging on a brick wall](https://www.nsun.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/rv.png)
Community Rehabilitation When people heard that I was being supported by the Community Rehabilitation Service their immediate thought was often… more