\n Scott Harrison, 33, spent much of his life grappling with anxiety and depression before finding help from the Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust.\n<\/p>\n
\n His struggles were impacted by not being diagnosed with autism and ADHD until the age of 31.\n<\/p>\n
\n Mr Harrison said that early signs of his struggles were often overlooked.\n<\/p>\n
\n He said: “I was always happier on my own.\n<\/p>\n
\n “I was often uncomfortable playing with other children or attending social events like birthday parties as I found socialising difficult, particularly in big groups.”\n<\/p>\n
\n His determination to achieve good marks at school often masked the pressure he placed on himself.\n<\/p>\n
\n Scott Harrison as a child\u00a0 (Image: Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust)\n<\/p>\n
\n Mr Harrison said: “I expected so much of myself and was determined to get good marks for everything I did.\n<\/p>\n
\n “When a teacher praised my work, I felt overjoyed but fearful of not being able to do that well again.”\n<\/p>\n
\n The situation worsened during secondary school following the loss of a childhood friend, his father\u2019s heart attack, and relocating to an unfamiliar area, which led to a breakdown.\n<\/p>\n
\n At the age of 13, he was referred to Bury child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) and said their support helped him to rebuild his confidence.\n<\/p>\n
\n He went on to\u00a0become deputy head boy, performing in school musicals and achieving good GCSE results.\n<\/p>\n
\n However, as he entered adulthood, new challenges arose.\n<\/p>\n
\n The Bury adult outpatient team continued to help manage the pressures of university and the “emotional toll of an early rejection in the performing arts industry”.\n<\/p>\n
\n Mr Harrison said: “It was very toxic for me.\n<\/p>\n
\n “I would audition for roles and not hear back.\n<\/p>\n
\n “It sent me into endless spirals of depression.”\n<\/p>\n
\n At one of his lowest points, Mr Harrison was barely eating, sleeping all day, and experiencing suicidal thoughts.\n<\/p>\n
\n Consultant psychiatrist Dr Sarmad Nadeem helped Mr Harrison, adjusting his treatment and support.\n<\/p>\n
\n READ MORE:\u00a0<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n \n His mental health worsened after his mother\u2019s cancer diagnosis in 2021, when he briefly turned to ‘harder’ drugs and excessive drinking.\n<\/p>\n \n But a particularly bad reaction to drugs in May 2022 motivated him to turn his life around.\n<\/p>\n \n Mr Harrison added: “I gave up drugs, alcohol, cigarettes – everything.\n<\/p>\n \n “My mum was, and still is, responding superbly to her treatment.\n<\/p>\n \n “This motivated me to start making the most of my life.”\n<\/p>\n \n A private assessment confirming autism and ADHD helped him understand his past.\n<\/p>\n \n Mr Harrison said: “Everything about my past finally made sense.\n<\/p>\n \n “It was a much-needed revelation.”\n<\/p>\n \n He now credits his recovery to the support he received, he said: “Dr Sarmad Nadeem is a credit to the NHS.\n<\/p>\n \n “His ability to truly listen has got me through some of my darkest moments.”\n<\/p>\n \n \n Mr Harrison has returned to his love of musical theatre, performing Stars from Les Mis\u00e9rables at Manchester Cathedral last Christmas.\n<\/p>\n \n He now wants to help others who are struggling and has shared his story for\u00a0Men’s Health Week, which takes place from June 9 to 15.\n<\/p>\n \n Mr Harrison said: “Mental health issues are real, and it\u2019s OK\u00a0to ask for help.\n<\/p>\n \n “Pennine Care gave me the tools to improve my life and the courage to speak out.\n<\/p>\n \n “Don\u2019t wait until you hit rock bottom.\n<\/p>\n \n “Reach out because there are people who care and services that can help you.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Scott Harrison, 33, spent much of his life grappling with anxiety and depression before finding help from the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":181748,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4317],"tags":[105,218,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-181747","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mental-health","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-mental-health","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114677463427711818","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/181747","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=181747"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/181747\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/181748"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=181747"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=181747"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=181747"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Mr Harrison performing ‘Stars’ from Les Mis\u00e9rables at Manchester Cathedral\u00a0 (Image: Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust)\n<\/p>\n