Stephanie Allen has published a book of her words to inspire others who are suffering
Stephanie Allen has a book of her poetry out; The Warren Youth Project in Hull is also helping her with an audio book(Image: Stephallenpoetry/Hull Daily Mail)
A Hull woman who began suffering with her mental health when she was 13 has found a creative outlet that she hopes will also help others. Stephanie Allen, 24, discovered poetry when she was still at school and has now written an anthology that is available to buy.
A Big Taboo contains a collection of poems written by Stephanie about her mental health and how her daily struggles have affected her. The book costs £10 on Amazon and she is donating £1 from each copy sold to support mental health charity MIND.
Stephanie said: “I write mainly about my mental health just to get all the thoughts and feelings out. I want to let other people know it’s okay not to be okay and that anyone suffering with their mental health is not alone.”
The paperback is “a step into the mind of a young poet who herself suffers with her mental health”, says the Amazon description. “With a range of poems all mental health related, this book is aimed for people who want to understand what it could be like and for people who already suffer to not feel alone.”
Stephanie said it was “very exciting” to have her poems published. She said: “A few years ago I was nominated for a Hull Heart Award and a company who was a sponsor, Trident, invited me to have a look around.
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“They asked me if they could help with anything. I thought maybe I could publish a book with some of my writing and they published a little anthology for me.
“Some of those poems have gone into A Big Taboo. It feels absolutely amazing to have my own book out with my own words in it.
“I go to the Warren Youth Project in Hull once a week and they have been helping me with an audio book. I want people to know that if they are struggling there are places they can reach out to, to get help.
“If they are struggling with their thoughts and feelings, it’s important they speak out, even if it seems frightening at first.” Stephanie’s mum Angela Kell said she thought it was “amazing” that her daughter had published a book.
“She started with mental health issues when she was 13 and when she was 15, it helped her when she was struggling to write down her thoughts,” her mum said. Stephanie, who has EUP/anxiety and depression and lives in supported living, had been “in and out” of mental health hospitals and continues to receive Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) – a type of talking therapy based on cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) but specially adapted for people who feel emotions very intensely.
“She struggles every day with hearing voices and trying to manage her thoughts,” said Angela. “Some days are okay for her and others she can’t control what’s going on in her mind.
“She wanted to share her poetry with people who may be suffering themselves with their mental health and do not know who to turn to, feel ashamed or a burden to their family and friends. She and myself have always tried to advocate for mental health and help people understand the condition.
If you need supportCall 999 or go to A&E: If you or someone else is in danger.Call 111: For urgent mental health help that isn’t a 999 emergency, select the mental health option.Contact Samaritans: Call 116 123 anytime for a 24-hour helpline.Text SHOUT: Text SHOUT to 85258 for 24/7 crisis text service.The Humber Wellbeing Hub has a list of resources and contacts available. Click here to see them.
“She is so clever at writing and has being writing poetry for a number of years. She went to Sirius Academy North and used to do drama and performed in plays.
“When she was on stage she said she felt like she was someone else and Mr Wilson and Miss Rose there were absolutely amazing. They saw behind the mental health and knew this was an outlet for her.”
Angela said: “It’s important to Stephanie to reach out to people and to tell them, don’t sit and suffer.” Find A Big Taboo by Stephallenpoetry on Amazon.