Transforming community mental health services

Patient case study: Sufyan (pseudonym to maintain confidentiality)

Borough: Bury

What was happening:

  • Sufyan moved to the UK in May 2023.
  • He left behind a prosperous wild bird business in Pakistan. It was a big contrast to his life in the UK and he struggled to adjust.
  • He found it difficult living in the family home as his room was small and uncomfortable. He was having difficulty with daily living activities and struggled to be independent.
  • He worked in a local supermarket. He found the workload difficult and was experiencing problems with colleagues.
  • This led him to becoming severely depressed and unable to cope. He became isolated and stayed in his room for weeks.
  • He also struggled with his bipolar. He was easily irritated and had episodes of aggression towards his family. This caused tension among his family and relationships resulting in his sister moving out.
  • English was not his first language, so he struggled to access support.

Support received:

  • He was referred to the Bury community mental health team by his GP.
  • The community mental health team linked Sufyan with peer support worker Ihtisham Ibrar, from Rochdale and District Mind.
  • Through being able to converse in Urdu, Sufyan was more open but struggled to communicate his thoughts. Ihtisham used a chart with activity pictures of activities Sufyan could tick.
  • Sufyan found this useful and shared that his interests included swimming, walking in nature, and arts and crafts.
  • Above all, he had a keen interest in wildlife, particularly birds, which gave him purpose. • He expressed his wish to live independently with the support of his family.
  • Ihtisham referred Sufyan to the borough’s Greenspace support group. This is a partnership between Pennine Care early intervention team and Lancashire Wildlife Trust, to help people improve their mental health through nature.
  • He was linked in with the Mosses centre for support around developing his English language skills and completing application forms for benefits.
  • A referral was made to the local housing department to arrange accommodation.

How it helped:

  • Sufyan worked with the green space support group for three months and has found his lost passion. He enjoyed interacting with others who are likeminded and being out in nature improved his mood drastically. His family felt he turned a new leaf and felt more connected to him.
  • There’s an opportunity for Sufyan to volunteer for Lancashire Wildlife Trust to pursue his passion.
  • Sufyan has been assessed for independent living and daily lifestyle by the community mental health team.
  • And he’s learning English at a local centre and making steady progress.

In his own words:

Sufyan said he ‘found a purpose to get out of bed’ and it has given him a way to cope with negative thoughts he may have. He has since made new friends at the greenspace and felt valued.

He said: “Thank you to my peer support worker who provided a space for me to be listened to and introduced me to this project. I felt nervous attending the sessions at the Adab centre but being supported by someone really helped.”

Sufyan felt the independent support from Mind alongside the community mental health team, really helped him feel supported and listened to.