Shelley Seaton in conversation with Jerome Carson
| Date | 12 February 2019 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/MHSI-11-2018-0039 |
| Pages | 12-15 |
| Published date | 12 February 2019 |
| Author | Shelley Seaton,Jerome Carson |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Mental health,Social inclusion |
Shelley Seaton in conversation
with Jerome Carson
Shelley Seaton and Jerome Carson
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to provide a profile of Shelley Seaton.
Design/methodology/approach –Shelley gives a short background to her life story and is then interviewed
by Jerome.
Findings –Shelley tells us about a number of life events that impacted on her mental health issues, starting
with childhood bullying and also abusive relationships.
Research limitations/implications –The case study approach privileges the person’s lived experience.
It also lets us see the unique complexity of each person’s story.
Practical implications –Shelley received little help in the form of counselling either at school or when she
experienced post-natal depression.
Social implications –When mental health problems start in childhood, schools have a vital role to play.
While the bullying stopped when Shelley’s Mum went to the school, the damage was already done. She was
given no support to help her through this.
Originality/value –Patricia Deegan has asked, “Could you have survived what this person has survived?”
(Deegan, 1996, p. 95). Shelley’s story is a tale of survival.
Keywords Resilience, Depression
Paper type Case study
Introduction
As a mature undergraduate student, I used always to see Shelley with her close friend Michelle.
They seemed to me inseparable. Once they graduated, Michelle went into a research role, while
Shelley enrolled on the Masters degree in Positive Psychology. Her background in life has had
more than its fair share of tribulations. But let Shelley tell us about this in her own words […].
Brief biography of Shelley Seaton
I was born in a small town called Bury, just North of Manchester, in 1980. My upbringing was a strict
but fair one. I was never a confident child and during my primary school years I only had one close
friend called Toni. The start of high school was a daunting time. My best friend Toni went to a different
school and I had to make new friends. I was bullied throughout most of my time at high school. The
bullying started when I was in my second year. The bullying happened daily and often. I was chased
into the school toilets during the breaktimes. I remember feeling so scared as the girls kicked at the
toilet cubicle doors shouting abuse at me and I could not understand what it was that I did wrong.
One day after school I was invited to a friend’s house and it was then that I was attacked by the main
school bully. I was punched in the face, kicked and had my hair pulled. After this incident I was not
the same. I had decided I could not take the bullying and I attempted to take my life twice by taking
an overdose. After the overdose my mum went to the school to deal with the bullying which then
stopped. I received no medical intervention for the depression that I was suffering with at the time.
I left school with poorGCSE grades and I felt like a failure and thatI had let everyone down, but I
went ahead andapplied to go to college anyway. I enrolled on a course studyinghealth and social
Shelley Seaton and
Jerome Carson are both based
at the Department of
Psychology, University of
Bolton, Bolton, UK.
PAG E 12
j
MENTALHEALTH AND SOCIAL INCLUSION
j
VOL. 23 NO. 1 2019, pp. 12-15, © Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 2042-8308 DOI 10.1108/MHSI-11-2018-0039
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