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For some people recovery means being able to stay at home and watch television all day whereas for others it means actively socialising, enjoying hobbies and maybe returning to work.

Part of the problem faced by psychiatrists and psychiatric nurses in hospitals is that they often have never seen the patient before and are somewhat at a loss as to how to gauge when a person has "recovered."

The first time I was admitted to The Christie Ward, Alexandria, Scotland I was desperately ill and barely able to communicate. I would sit hunched up and avoid all eye contact, so when my Mum informed the staff that, when I was well, I was a gregarious, fun-loving and outgoing person they took it with a grain of salt and you could almost see them thinking, "typical middle class mother who has too high expectations for her daughter."

Over the twelve weeks that I spent in the hospital I gradually improved and the staff were able to witness a huge change in me as I regained my personality and self-confidence. Mum and I often joke that psychiatrists should spend an allotted time every week wandering around town trying to spot potential patients so that they, the doctors, would have a better idea of a person's optimum recovery level before they become ill!

I feel (she says knocking on every bit of wood at hand!) that I have at long last recovered. This does not mean that I am cured—far from it. I still take a regime of medication everyday and see my psychiatrist regularly. I think that what I have just said raises an important issue—how vital it is to carry on taking your medication and attending outpatient appointments even when you're feeling well. This is crucial as not only will your doctor be able to monitor your progress but he/she will be better able to recognise and record how your "recovered" state presents and your current levels of activity, thought processes, and mood. Plus, it is in their interests to keep you well!

It is hugely tempting to stop taking your meds when you are feeling well, but as one who has tried it I would not recommend it as a positive course of action. It is hugely important to continue with your medication as the consequences of not taking it—relapse, hospital admission, etc.—are all things that we want to avoid and quite often it is the medication that is keeping us well. Think about antibiotics—have you ever had an infection and been prescribed some antibiotics, taken them and then stopped before you finished the course because the infection had cleared up only to find that because you didn't finish the course, the infection had returned? Think of psychiatric medication in the same way—if you don't want the "infection" to return you've got to keep on taking those meds!

So, what does recovery mean to me? Well, it means that I am back playing with my band, "The Upstares" (we ROCK!), and I am socialising a bit more and meeting friends for coffee. I've also been given the opportunity to write some articles about mental health (you're reading one of them!). It feels good to be giving something back to a system which has, quite frankly, kept me alive for the past fourteen years. But enough about me, what about you? What are your passions? What do you dream of doing? Just because someone has a mental illness DOESN'T mean that their life is over. As individuals we all have much to offer in our own unique way and it is up to us to get up off our asses and do something! So join an exercise class, attend evening classes, do volunteer work, learn an instrument or a million and one other things that are there waiting for you.

Four years ago, I was so ill that the nursing staff in the hospital took my parents aside and gently told them that it was possible that I might not survive this latest episode of psychosis and depression as my physical health was failing as the mental illness took its toll. It was the most ill that I have ever been. However things turned around and gradually over the space of three years I was able to turn my life around. How did I do it? Well, as I've already discussed, taking my medication was a big factor but also, and equally important, I found that talking to people about how I was feeling and what I was thinking really helped ease the pressure in my head.

Obviously, it's important to pick someone you trust to open up to but once you find that person/s it can be a great help to hear someone else's perspective on what you are worrying about which can in turn ease the pain.

I'll finish this article with some words of wisdom that I read recently. Unfortunately, I don't have the book to hand (it's by Sognyal Rinpoche) so I apologise for any inaccuracies.

"A man walks down a road and falls into a deep hole. He panics and has to be helped out.

"A man walks down a road and falls into a hole. After a while he climbs out.

"A man walks down a road and walks round the hole.

"A man walks down a different road."

Maybe one day with recovery we will all walk down a different road.