I was given a pot of money that was flexible and life-changing for my mental health

Considering that 1 in 4 people will at some point in the course of their lives experience mental ill-health and or distress, why is it that people like me who access mental health services are the poorer relation to people who use social care services? I can only guess that this is related to the taboo of mental ill health.

Just because mental ill health can't be seen doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Though there are critics, no one should pass judgement on a person's lived experience. When you have an imbalance that affects your mood, life can be a challenge, nevertheless I have a right to services like everyone else.

I have found that mental health services are rooted in the medical model which is less person centred then social care. There have been some great attempts to address this discourse and one such attempt has been personal budgets in mental health. Fortunately I have had some good allies in the disabled people's movement who have helped forge the way for person-centred care and support that is not solely clinically based, which in my experience means discharging someone from hospital before you are sure they can cope.

I have heard many different views over the years and I would like to share mine as someone who has access to personal budgets in mental health and is currently struggling on a daily basis - sometimes even with getting out of the house.

When I became unwell, I quickly realised that there was no service that met my needs as "Isaac", so how was I intending to start my journey to recovery? I thought "How can they support me if they don't understand me?".

In fact, not understanding my needs was more detrimental to my wellbeing then the illness itself; but I was lucky in that I met a very forward thinking social worker who told me about personal budgets and of course I applied. Like most I thought the process was complex, however it got better over time.

I guess you don't want to hear about that so let's get to the interesting stuff. You can't know me unless you talk to me. I have dreams like you that can't be measured by any external service.

I owe the management of my mental health to my personal budget, I am in control and feel part of the community where I live. I was given a pot of money to support me to do the things that I need to do in the way I need to do them -and this money has been flexible and life changing.

At first I took small steps, like asking my friend to accompany me to a coffee shop to help me regain my social confidence. Now I have acquired the status of a "mico-commissioner" which means I can choose services which are centred around my needs and culture, and guess what my clinical outcomes have become more achievable too! I am able to self-manage my recovery from bipolar and I have the confidence to know that a mental health personal budget will give me the level of support I need.

You would never imagine buying size 7 red boots when you don't like red and you're a size 8 so come on people don't expect the same from your mental health support.

In April 2015, TLAP and NHS Confederation published a briefing on personal health budgets in mental health which have been expanded to people with long-term conditions.