What is the purpose of collecting and sharing these stories?

As a charity for mental health and social change, we want to make sure that the transformations, goals and policies we campaign for within these systems reflect the reality of actually existing with them, and of asking for help. 

By collecting these stories, we can better see what is working well, and what changes we need to be calling for. By sharing these stories publicly, we can provide a reference point for those who are shaping services and support. And by providing a space for people to be heard, we can help people feel less isolated when systems feel overwhelming. 

Who can share their stories through the Truth Project?

People who have experienced services, and professionals who are working or have worked within services. Different areas of the Truth Project will be for different sets of experiences – but it’s important that we hear from people working within the mental health system, as well as those accessing it.  

What do you do with stories when you receive them?

If consent has been provided, we will share these stories online, and in some instances we may also have further follow-up conversations with respondents to hear more of their experiences. The stories shared, and the further conversations, will help shape our direction and campaigns as a charity. 

Where stories are published, they may also feed into other content such as social media, exhibitions, and calls for others to share their stories. All stories can be shared with us entirely anonymously, and where names are provided and permission given to use them, we will only use first names. Identifiable details are removed. 

We are unable to publish all stories we receive, but each story is read, and contributes to our research. We aim to publish as many stories as possible, and to publish within six to eight weeks of the story being sent to us. Where a story will take longer, we will contact the author to discuss. 

Do you change the stories?

We apply a minimal editorial stance, and have tried to avoid sanitising people’s stories. We have done this in order to preserve people’s own truth as closely as we can. This means we don’t make changes to the way people write their words, or how they express themselves.  

We will change typos or mistakes only where it makes something difficult to read. We also remove some elements to follow the Samaritans’ guidelines on self-harm and suicide. We will also remove identifiable information where necessary, any potentially libelous content, or hate speech. 

Does Platfform agree with everything that is said in these stories?

These are not Platfform’s stories. They are the accounts of people who have been through medical systems, and each account reflects the experiences and viewpoints of the people who have written them. We are not sharing these stories to advance any particular opinion or view of services, but to see and hear people’s own experiences. 

Sharing positive experiences is not about holding any particular service or approach up as a model to follow, and sharing negative experiences is not about blame. This is about personal truth, and hearing the reality of people’s experiences in their own words. 

By hearing that reality, we can better understand and contribute to the efforts of colleagues across services to create better services, and create the conditions for better mental health. 

For transparency, we have stated that Platfform has called for, and continues to call for, a review of the use of the diagnosis of personality disorder in Wales. However, we publish stories received on this topic regardless of whether the author supports this view, or has found the diagnosis helpful.