A young woman receiving inpatient hospital treatment in Beckton for her mental health has released a book of poetry to help her recovery after being a “slave to her mind” for the last few years.
Sophie Greenwood is currently a service user at Cygnet Hospital Beckton, a service run by Cygnet Health Care that provides support for women with personality disorders and other mental health needs.
She has been writing since her first admission to hospital at the age of 18, after suffering from severe depression and anxiety. Now, aged 21, she has published a book of poetry titled “I Hope This Helps” to support others experiencing similar to what she endured.
“My first adult admission was difficult and I didn’t have the best experience”, she explained.
“I was told that writing down how you are feeling can be a good way to process things and to feel calmer in a heightened state. I started to write things down and found it therapeutic and so I carried on and have been writing ever since.”
Sophie is a patient on the New Dawn ward at Cygnet Hospital Beckton, an 18 bed specialist Tier 4 Personality Disorder service. Women can be admitted to New Dawn if they have a diagnosis of personality disorder, exhibit self-harming behaviour and are able to accept the need for help.
She hopes the book of poems will help people who may find themselves struggling with their mental health. She said she wanted the book to serve as a “form of medicine”.
She added: “I like to write about how I am feeling, or how I want to feel. Some of the pieces in the book are poems and others are words or encouragement or things that people might need to hear. I want it to help people remember that they are not alone and to take something positive from it.
“I express my human experiences in a raw and artistic way that is easy to digest and consume. I speak openly on my journey of healing from severe depression and anxiety and how I have come back home to myself after years of being a slave to my own mind.
“The creation of this book has been medicinal for myself. I hope it is received by others in the same way.”
I Hope This Helps is one of many books that Sophie has written, but the first to be published. She has another five more in editing stages that she hopes to be able to complete in the future. Sophie’s goal once she is discharged is to study English and pursue a career in writing.
