The more we talk about it, the more people understand...

A County Durham woman has turned her life around after decades struggling with her mental health which saw her even finding herself in 'months-long manic episodes' where she was a danger to herself and others.

- Sam Volpe reports

RUTH Lord, 41, was first hit with depression at just 13. For the 28 years since, struggles with depression and bipolar have seen her experience some extreme lows, including bankruptcy, nights in jail cells and suicide attempts.

But now she has transformed her health and is working towards becoming a peer supporter for others. She is backing the NHS's You Matter mental health campaign.

Ruth’s parents were both teachers and she was brought up near Durham city. She first faced depression at just 13, but was prescribed anti-depressants and made it through exams. A talented dancer, she studied dance and choreography at university and ran a dance school in her spare time.

"Dancing was my hobby. It kept me going and that really helped," she said. "It was something I could lose myself in, something that took my mind off things."

But she soon found herself dealing with the separation of her parents and being embroiled in an abusive relationship herself. She managed to "scrape through", she said - and devoted herself to the dance school and a new relationship.

She then upped sticks and went to live in Dubai, but suffered a serious breakdown. She said: "I knew deep down that I wasn't happy. First, I became anxious, then paranoid and then got unwell very quickly. My dad had to fly over and take me home.

"At first, I went to stay with my fiance's family, but my health continued to deteriorate. I ended up being hospitalised with acute paranoid psychosis. It was a tough time."