Jacqui Dillon

Jacqui on BBC Horizon’s ‘Why Did I Go Mad?’

HorizonFor hundreds of years, psychiatry has treated voices and hallucinations as an enemy – regarding them as ‘insanity’ or ‘madness’ and seeing them as something to be quashed and even frightened of. But today, new scientific and psychological insights into how the brain works are leading to a radical rethink on what such experiences are – and how they should be treated.

Horizon follows three people living with voices, hallucinations and paranoia, to explore what causes this kind of phenomena. Providing a rare first-hand insight into these experiences, they reveal just what it is like to live with them day to day. They examine the impact of social, biological and environmental influences on conditions traditionally associated with insanity, such as schizophrenia and psychosis, and within the film they look at how new ways of understanding the brain are leading to a dramatic change in treatments and approaches, and examine whether targeting the root causes of psychosis can lead to recovery. Above all, they try to uncover why it happened to them – and whether it could happen to you.

Jacqui Dillon

See: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006mgxf

3 replies
  1. Janice Pearson
    Janice Pearson says:

    I watched the Horizon programme last night about psychosis. It was so very enlightening and helpful. My daughter who is 24 has been struggling with psychosis for over two years now and has had many hospital admissions. It has given me hope that people can reach a point where they can challenge their voices and learn ways to make the voices work for them in a positive way. I would love to know more about your journey Jacquie and what worked for you? I am trying to equip myself with the knowledge and understanding about possible therapeutic interventions to aid my daughters recovery. Thank you so much for sharing your story for the programme. I am going to talk to our Health Trust and ask if they will invite you to talk to professionals and families.

    Reply
    • Aine McCaffrey
      Aine McCaffrey says:

      Hi Janice, there is a free university course currently available on futurelearn.com called Psychology and Mental Health. There is a wide variety of discussion on the subject of nurture vs nature. Jacqui Dillon’s story is featured on this course which is how I found this website. The course is just on its second week, so it wouldn’t take long for you to catch up. The information is invaluable, I think you would find this really helpful in your situation. Best wishes to you and your daughter x

      Reply
  2. Claire
    Claire says:

    What a wonderful insight into a really hopeful solution, I very much believe by being able to express our inner most being, we could become an asset to each other,rather than be caught up in a mind full of uncertainty… Our brains are so complex, they have the ability to be able to solve…..
    The Message should be out there LOUD AND CLEAR TO SEE AND LEARN .. How the brain connects and works, or doesn’t connect and work, and how by understanding what a major part the brain has on everyone’s lives. THANKYOU SO MUCH.. Absolutely Amazing Programme 🙂 xx

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *