With the right support, recovery is always possible

Abdirisak Mohamed Hussein is a pretty remarkable man. At 21, ‘Abdi’ arrived in the UK from Somalia in 1989 to seek asylum and spent the next nine years moving between friends and relatives’ homes in London and Sheffield. Constantly pre-occupied and worried about the war back home and getting no closer to his dream of pursuing higher education in the UK, his mental health began to rapidly decline.

He felt stuck and resorted to drugs and alcohol to forget the problems he was having. In 2005 Abdi was admitted to a mental health unit in Rotherham, following a diagnosis of Schizophrenia. It was during his time there that an Occupational Therapist took the time to listen to Abdi’s dreams of studying and assisted with getting him onto an open university course.

Following his discharge, Abdi’s care was transferred to our Community Mental Health Team and his recovery continued. In 2014, Abdi went on to achieve his honours degree in Health and Social Care, before working for the Royal College of Psychiatry for five years. In 2017, Abdi completed the BSMHFT training to became one of our Recovery Peer Support Workers (RPSW) at the Tamarind Centre. This is a role that was developed specifically for people who have lived experience of mental distress. Through sharing wisdom of their own experience, RPSWs are positive role models that inspire hope and belief that recovery is possible in others.

Five years since becoming a RPSW, Abdi is a familiar face and positive force among the Tamarind team. Attending three days per week, he participates in a variety of activities and groups with service users, sharing his own life story to encourage them to open up and share theirs.

When it comes to maintaining good mental and physical health, Abdi prioritises the gym five days per week, combining cardio and resistance workouts. He also loves reading self-help books, which he says help him to sleep, eat well and feel happier. Reflecting upon on his journey, Abdi who feels he has now achieved his dream of becoming an educated, self-sufficient man, said:

“Ever since I qualified and started working for BSMHFT, I became even more hopeful. I am grateful to the Trust for giving me this employment opportunity to move forward and progress in life. I have never wanted my illness and the circumstances I was in, to define my future and I hope that others who share the same plight as me can use my story as a survival guide.

“I cannot thank enough all of the mental health specialists that I have met along my journey that have helped to turn my life around and enable me to reinvent myself. With the right mental health support in place, recovery is always possible.”

Abdi has also written a book about his recovery journey. Entitled ‘The Best Recovery’, the published book touches upon a lot of different areas of Abdi’s experiences, not just back home in Somalia but also in the UK and his journey through mental health services. Abdi’s book is available to buy through Amazon, Waterstones and other book stores.