Recent years have seen a welcome, but belated, awareness of mental health in the UK and much of the world. Mental fragility is, thankfully, no longer considered a weakness, or something to be ashamed of; and with increased awareness of the conditions associated with it, more strategies and possible solutions are discussed out in the open – where they should be – devoid of shame and the countless other negative associations that often accompanied the matter.

Creativity is one of the many tools sufferers can employ in the battle against mental illness, with writing a sound, and often cathartic, way of working one’s way out of a period of difficulty. It doesn’t matter how random or disordered those early musings might be – it’s getting them onto the page that counts. And once they’re there, they can sometimes form the basis of a story that can be expanded upon.

Writing about what you know is a much-lauded entry point into storytelling, and given the longstanding popularity of memoir in publishing, there’s always a chance of your tale being commissioned. If fiction is the preferred medium, characters can be carved out of personal experience, which lends them authenticity. Or perhaps more academic texts can be the focus, should the author have experience in a particular field, or if they have an interest in that area that they would like to explore.

Of course, a published piece of work doesn’t need to be the endgame for anyone looking to improve their mental health. Just connecting with one’s creativity can be enormously beneficial and help steer them away from a less helpful disposition. But for those who wish to pursue a more literary path, we at United Ghostwriters are here to help. We all have different specialities and backgrounds, but have one thing in common: a genuine desire to help our clients reach their goals; and if we can help banish some demons in the process, then all the better.