How music has been my escapism since the age of six
Throughout the ups and downs of my life, there has been one constant: music. It’s something that I’ve been doing ever since I was little....
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Meet Hattie Gladwell
I’m a freelance journalist specialising in mental health issues. I worked for Metro.co.uk for five years before going fully freelance in June 2020, following the birth of my first child.
I’m passionate about raising awareness of mental health issues, as someone who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at the age of 20, and later borderline personality disorder and OCD. It’s especially important to me to discuss the issues those of us who cannot afford frequent private therapy face, to highlight how inaccessible the mental health services can be, and why those of us suffering need more.
Ultimately, I want to make a difference in how mental illness is talked about today.
Hattie Gladewell
Aug 25, 20213 min read
It’s okay to take a step back when you need to
I’m writing this for anyone who is currently overwhelmed or feeling like they need to take a step back. From anything. From the internet,...
Hattie Gladewell
Aug 2, 20213 min read
I'm tired of feeling guilty for being a working mother
I’m tired of feeling guilty for being a working mother. It’s something I’ve been dealing with for a long time, ever since I got back to...
Hattie Gladewell
Jul 26, 20214 min read
Things you should remember when writing a personal essay
I’ve been writing personal essays ever since I first entered the world of journalism. Personal essays are pieces I enjoy writing, because...
Hattie Gladewell
Jul 19, 20213 min read
Anxiety disorders aren't 'lesser than' other mental health conditions - let's stop with the stigma
Trigger warning: The blog contains mentions of suicidal ideation, which some readers may find distressing. I was diagnosed with bipolar...
Hattie Gladewell
Jul 12, 20213 min read
Why I'm boycotting Love Island this year - and every year after
I used to love Love Island. I remember discovering it at season two, and binge-watched the whole of series one just so that I was caught...
Hattie Gladewell
Jul 7, 20214 min read
I miss who I was before inflammatory bowel disease
I was diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease in 2015. Ulcerative colitis, to be precise, which is a form of IBD that causes severe...
Hattie Gladewell
Jun 28, 20215 min read
What I want you to know about living with postpartum OCD
When I got pregnant, my whole life turned around. I was feeling as healthy as I’d ever been, despite a diagnosis of gestational diabetes...
Hattie Gladewell
Jun 21, 20213 min read
Is it okay not to be body confident all the time?
It’s 2021, and finally, people are loving their bodies, exploring being body positive, and sharing that self-love advice with other...
Hattie Gladewell
Jun 17, 20213 min read
It's time to put down the pen and say goodbye to journalism - for now
I have been a journalist since I was 17 years old. I’m nearly 26. So, that’s a long time for someone who’s still young. It started with...
Hattie Gladewell
Jun 17, 20213 min read
Please don't ask me about my self-harm scars this summer
Trigger warning: The following column contains discussions on self-harm, which some readers may find distressing. I self-harmed for...
Hattie Gladewell
Jun 14, 20213 min read
I'm tired of people telling me to go and get therapy - it's not that simple
I’m tired of people telling me to get therapy. There, I said it. This might sound odd. Surely, people are trying to help, right? They’re...
Hattie Gladewell
May 24, 20214 min read
You don't need the validation of others to have a mental health issue
Many people are scared to speak up about their mental illness. Perhaps it’s because they haven’t processed the fact that they have a...
Hattie Gladewell
May 17, 20213 min read
The conversation around mental health issues needs to go beyond self-care and wellness
“It doesn’t matter, we all know what we’re getting at”, I see strangers say online as they discuss the difference between mental health...
Hattie Gladewell
May 10, 20215 min read
8 first steps to take if you think you have postnatal depression
I was diagnosed with postnatal depression six months after having a baby. It took this long because I didn’t open up about it until this...
Hattie Gladewell
May 4, 20214 min read
What I wish people knew about living with both a chronic illness and a mental illness
My mental health issues started when I was young. When I was four years old, I experienced seeing things that were not there, and hearing...
Hattie Gladewell
May 3, 20213 min read
Why I choose to write about my mental health publicly
When I first started writing about my experience with mental illness, the world of mental health in media felt quiet. Of course, there...
Hattie Gladewell
Apr 27, 20213 min read
My baby starts daycare soon - here's why it makes me worry
In two weeks, my baby goes to daycare for the first time. He’s already one, and in his little life so far he has only met one other...
Hattie Gladewell
Apr 26, 20214 min read
My son saved my mental health, in more ways than one
Before I had my child, I was a different person. Not just in the sense that well, I didn’t have a child, but in the sense that since, my...
Hattie Gladewell
Apr 19, 20214 min read
An open letter to anyone experiencing distressing intrusive thoughts
Intrusive thoughts are a normal part of life. Unfortunately, everyone has them. Maybe you’ve been standing on a train platform and had a...
Hattie Gladewell
Apr 13, 20213 min read
Why I will raise my child to be understanding of mental health issues
When I was growing up, I was brought up to understand, and to be understanding of mental health issues. My mum has bipolar disorder, and...
Hattie Gladewell
Apr 6, 20213 min read
Why writing a to-do list is a brilliant form of self-care
Yesterday, I shared a tweet talking about how I add things to my to-do list having already done them, just for the satisfaction of being...
Hattie Gladewell
Mar 29, 20214 min read
Why I'm finally opening up about my binge eating disorder
I was very unwell with bulimia nervosa as a teenager. I felt insignificant next to my friends. I received comments on the size of my legs...
Hattie Gladewell
Mar 22, 20215 min read
Why suicidal ideation needs to be taken seriously
I remember sitting on my sofa in front of the television gazing past the screen. I wasn’t myself. I’d been feeling very low, and had been...
Hattie Gladewell
Mar 16, 20214 min read
How to write about your mental health without traumatising yourself
I’ve been a mental health writer for nearly eight years now. It’s something I enjoy writing about, and it’s something I know how to write...
Hattie Gladewell
Mar 12, 20214 min read
Covid-19 has made leaving the house impossible - but I am trying
I’ve always been someone who loves going out. To events with friends, for sleepovers, out shopping, clubbing, you name it. I was...
Hattie Gladewell
Mar 7, 20213 min read
What I learned by taking a three-month break from social media
I open up my Twitter app, take a look through my timeline for the last time, and click ‘Deactivate Twitter’. My relationship with the...
Hattie Gladewell
Mar 2, 20213 min read
Yes, I enjoy walks - but I take medication to help me live with mental illness
I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder when I was 20. Ever since, I have heard plenty of generic comments about what to do about it. I’ve...
Hattie Gladewell
Feb 22, 20214 min read
Why I decided to become a writer - and continued to do so after becoming a mum
I was 14 years old when I decided I wanted to become a writer. I took media studies as one of my subjects for GCSE, and I remember my...
Hattie Gladewell
Feb 8, 20213 min read
Being a working mother made me feel like a failure - now I realise it was postnatal depression
When I was pregnant with my son, I turned to online baby groups and motherhood websites for support and to learn what I was in for when...
Hattie Gladwell DUPLICATE
Oct 13, 20205 min read
Mental health services are failing the working class
Telling people to ‘speak up’ and ‘be kind’ on social media isn’t going to change the fact that mental health services are failing the...
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