WMHD 2021 – Service user Jasper Thomson shares live experience of mental distress and the criminal justice system

The theme set by the World Federation for Mental Health for World Mental Health Day 2021 is ‘Mental Health in an Unequal World’. This theme is something we wanted to explore with the people that use our services by sharing their lived experiences of mental distress and inequalities or discrimination they have faced.

To explore this theme we spoke to Jasper Thomson who used our Criminal Justice Community Link Services. Jasper shares open and frank lived experience of mental distress and issues he has faced with alcohol abuse that have led to problems with offending that meant he came into contact with the criminal justice system. In this first film he explains the forms of mental distress he has experienced and how he came to work alongside Together’s criminal justice team:

In the second part of our interview with Jasper he shares lived experience of being sectioned under the Mental Health Act and explaining how it made him feel and the processes involved:

In this next clip from our interview with Jasper he discusses inequalities he feels have contributed to mental distress he has experienced and misconceptions and judgements that have affected him accessing mental health support:

In the final part of our interview with Jasper talks about the impact that Together’s Community Link Service has had for him and specifically working with Together Community Link Worker Paul Richardson:

Thank you to Jasper for taking the time to share his story.