Sonia has experienced depression since she was 17. As a teenager she had problems with an eating disorder and began self -harming. She was admitted to hospital after having taken an overdose of paracetamol when she was in her 20's. Since that time she has had several admissions to hospital and has been referred to community mental health services at various times. She has tried numerous different antidepressants, but has found it difficult to find the right one for her. Some have lost their effectiveness after using them for a time, and sometimes she has experienced side effects that she has found intolerable.

Vicky became paralysed after a skydiving accident in Spain when she was 31. She feels self-conscious about her leg bag and would welcome a newly designed catheter that does not need a leg bag. She had a urethral catheter at first and then a suprapubic.

In 2003 Carol was diagnosed with endometriosis. This had invaded her bladder and her bowel. She has had several operations after which she has had a urethral catheter, once for four months, due to a perforated bladder. Sometimes she has to self catheterise due to loss of bladder sensation.