Bipolar writer recognised for work in the mental health field

A Pitshanger woman has picked up a top prize at last night's (18th Nov) 20th Mind Media Awards.

Charlotte Walker who writes under the alias Purple Persuasion has lived and worked in Ealing since 2005.

A lifelong sufferer of bipolar disorder, she became unwell in 2011, eventually leaving her job to ill health.

Since the beginning of this episode Charlotte has shared her experiences via her very popular blog, from candid descriptions of what it feels like to be manic or depressed to opinion pieces about the treatment of mental health in the media.

The mother-of-two says she was delighted to have been nominated for the Mark Hanson Digital Media Award, to win was incredible:

'' I was overwhelmed by the number of people who sought me out after the ceremony to tell me how much they liked the blog. I don’t care if this is a cliche, but I could never have kept writing, let alone won such a prestigious award, if not for everyone who reads my posts, sends me comments, and tweets me to let me know what you think.

''So thank you so much again. It’s going to take me a little while to take it all in, I think. It feels a bit like a beautiful dream – but then a glance at my mantelpiece confirms it’s not ''

Charlotte has also blogged for leading charities in the field and regularly gives talks about living with serious mental illness. She is currently working on a memoir about her experiences of growing up with bipolar.

19th November 2013