A former psychiatric patient is lending her support to the UK’s first major fundraising campaign aimed at helping people with complex mental health conditions.
Sedona Jamieson, 20, from Southampton, spent ten years moving in and out of psychiatric hospitals after being diagnosed with borderline personality disorder as a teenager.
She now backs the For Hope in Every Life appeal, launched by St Andrew’s Healthcare. Sedona credits St Andrew’s as the only place where she truly began to recover.
“My risk level was very high, and I was self-harming a lot,” Sedona said. “I had attempted suicide several times, and before coming to St Andrew’s, I regularly ended up in intensive care units on the operating table.”
She added, “The extreme risk of my suicide attempts meant that the longer it went on, the closer I was to death. The hospital staff treating me after these incidents were pretty sure it was only a matter of time.”
Her mental health started to improve in 2021 when she was admitted to a ward specialized in personality disorders at St Andrew’s.
“For me, being on a ward focused on my complex mental health condition meant I could get targeted treatment. I received therapies that are proven to help with borderline personality disorder,” Sedona explained. “I felt like I was being treated like a human again, and a small spark of hope appeared.”
During her stay, she was able to complete A-levels, learn to play the cello, and earn a lifeguard qualification.
Sedona was discharged in 2023 and has since begun studying biomedicine at the University of Bath.
St Andrew’s Healthcare, the UK’s largest mental health charity specializing in complex care, launched the For Hope in Every Life appeal to raise funds for patient recovery and support. This is the charity’s first fundraising campaign in over 100 years.
Dr Vivienne McVey, chief executive of St Andrew’s Healthcare, said, “For Hope in Every Life is hugely ambitious. We want to transform the lives of thousands of people who are often overlooked in our society.”
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