Withernsea man puts mental health survival down to 'best friend' dog

Kevin has been talking to others about his experiences as he hopes to stop the stigma around mental health

Life can change in an instant and Kevin Davies is testament to that. But a community rallying around him and his new best friend, a black Labrador, has he says, kept him alive.

Over a cup a coffee at his home in East Yorkshire, he told me of his incredible journey. He believed he would not be here today if it was not for his friends and his dog, Daisy, who has the waggiest tail I have ever seen.

Six years ago, he was working full time as an electrician and his mental health was not something he ever thought about. He found his stress levels started to grow, becoming annoyed by things that would not normally have bothered him, ultimately leading to a life-changing fall.

"I slipped and my head went into the door handle. I was on the floor. That was it. I was in hospital and I rang my boss and said I can't come back because I don't know what is happening to me," he said.

"I just wasn't right. I didn't know what I was doing. I wasn't speaking properly, it was awful. It was scary."

Since then, the 62-year-old has not worked and he fell into deep depression, refusing to leave his house.

"I got to the point where I thought, 'I can't cope with this any longer'. I just felt so bad.

"But, I had Daisy with me and she was only a pup and I think it was her that stopped me doing it. If I hadn't have got her I don't know what might have happened."

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Kevin says Daisy has changed his life and keeps him looking positively

Since getting Daisy, who sports a red harness and stays firmly by his side, Kevin told me he has good days and bad days, but is now using his experience of mental health to help others.

His support worker told him to keep a daily journal, which he writes in every day, always looking for the most positive things in life, even on his darkest days.

The volunteer gives his time at Mind in Withernsea, a charity which has been instrumental in helping him cope with his mental illness.

Their support group has a growing waiting list, such is the demand for mental health support in the town.

"I'm not ashamed of it. I tell people I go to Mind. It's part of me. It's the new me."

He also visits the Clear Minds support group who meet for a coffee and biscuits monthly at the Meridian Centre.

"If you understand why you are feeling the way you do and why your brain is working the way it is working, it is like a lightbulb moment and you can start to do something about it," Peter Allison, who runs the sessions, said.

"It doesn't matter what your problem is, how big it is, what's caused it, what effect it has on you, there is always an answer. We are the first step in that process of recovery."

As he throws another ball for his dog on the blustery Withernsea beach, Kevin smiles. "I'm happier now and I've got Daisy."