In the latest of our men's mental health story series, THIS EPR developer, Jason Parker, shares his personal account of experiencing mental health difficulties, to help others who may be struggling feel less alone. 

Mental health can affect anyone at any time, it affected me on a slow approach, over several months, and to some extent still does affect me.

The main thing from my point of view that it affected (and still is) is my relationship with my partner, things don’t seem or feel right, and I have no idea why not.

This is my story.

In June 2023 I started, unintentionally losing weight. I didn't really realise I was so thin however my family, friends and work colleagues all noticed how thin I was becoming.

As time progressed, I started acting strangely. I experienced mood swings, memory loss, lack of sleep, minimal concentration and I became argumentative. I would have conversations with people and forget what had been said 10 minutes later. In my mind I was adamant that they had not answered me, or I had not asked the question. I recall one specific time where I got lost whilst driving to work despite driving there multiple times.

My home life and relationship with my partner was also being affected. We were arguing for no apparent reason, which resulted in me getting more upset and depressed. In the end I reluctantly decided to visit my GP which resulted in me seeing two mental health practitioners on a bi-weekly basis. I remember feeling embarrassed to visit the doctor and say that I was suffering with anxiety and stress because of the perceptions around men’s mental health.  

It was after this that the attacks started which I originally thought were panic attacks. These increased my stress levels and anxiety which resulted in me becoming more upset and confused. These carried on for a number of weeks, progressively getting worse until I ended up in A&E. I later learned that between me sitting at home and arriving in A&E two weeks had passed without me knowing. I had apparently been awake during this time but I do not have any recollection of any events that took place.

My partner later told me that before the attack I had been watching TV when I began making a moaning noise and I collapsed on to the floor to which I then began to have a seizure and turn blue. Whilst in A&E the seizures continued and I dislocated my shoulder and fractured my collar bone.

I was finally diagnosed with autoimmune encephalitis. Basically, my brain was inflamed, and my immune system was attacking me. My symptoms were as follows:-

• Impaired memory and understanding
• Unusual and involuntary movements
• Involuntary movements of the face (facial dyskinesia)
• Difficulty with balance, speech or vision
• Insomnia
• Weakness or numbness
• Severe anxiety or panic attacks
• Compulsive behaviour
• Behaviour changes such as agitation, fear or euphoria
• Paranoid thoughts

Upon being discharged from A&E, I spent several months off work, finally returning in December 2023. During this time I was at home resting and had contact with the mental health practitioners, my GP and neurology consultants. There are still a few issues I am battling. I am on medication and cannot drive my car until March 2024 which has had an impact on me as I enjoy driving and riding motorbikes. I also question why this happened to me, however there aren’t any answers as of yet, all I know is it did.

I want to note that work have been fantastic with me since the start of my journey and the medical staff who looked after me in hospital were great. I really do believe they saved my life. The support from my family and friends has also been fantastic and with their support I can continue recovery.

If I can give any advice based on my own experiences, it would be don’t suffer alone and don’t be afraid to talk. I had a progressive Illness over a several months which affected my mental health, you may or may not, please don’t suffer in silence. No matter how fed up, angry, upset, confused or even embarrassed you feel, go seek help now, don’t be ashamed, get help and become mentally stronger, people who love you will understand, friends will understand, work colleagues will understand.

If anyone reading this is struggling with mental health issues currently and would like to access support, please reach out to your GP, your line managers who can direct you to occupational health, contact our Wellbeing Team or if you are not sure who to contact do not hesitate to contact Dominic Bryan via email at dominic.bryan@cht.nhs.uk