‘To Walk on Eggshells’
by Jean Johnston The Cairn, ISBN 0954809 2 1 1 Published March 2005 £10.00
I first came across Jean when, in a previous job, I started getting phone calls from someone in Helensburgh who appeared to be running an effective campaign to maintain psychiatric services in her area. She seemed to have access to national and local press, high profile supporters, good sources of information and the ear of decision makers and policy bods. When she asked me what she should do I was, not surprisingly, a bit stumped.
Jean’s determination, drive and energy are matched only by her incredible modesty – she’s often described herself as ‘just little me’ or ‘no expert’. Well the truth is that she is an expert and someone who should be (and is) taken very seriously. She is someone who understands the reality of caring for a person who is experiencing serious mental health difficulties, an able campaigner passionately committed to the importance of high quality treatment services but still recognising the importance of improving awareness of mental health across the whole of society.
Jean’s daughter, Suzy, may not have become an accomplished dancer like her mother (there is still time) but Jean’s natural writing skills show that some things have been passed down. With clarity and humour she chronicles her daughter’s childhood, teenage years and the eventual descent into severe mental distress. Jean goes on to offer her thoughts, advice and practical suggestions around self-management and recovery from that vital, yet often ignored, perspective – that of the carer.
