Luke experienced depression in his mid-teens and later had strong delusions. He was given a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. He has been sectioned twice and now manages his psychosis with self-help and medication.

Joseph experienced a brief period of psychosis in his early 20s when he was working as a chef. He had delusions and was not his normal self. He spent less than four weeks in hospital. He fully recovered from his psychosis and does not take any medication.

Peter experiences intrusive self-critical thoughts that can be so invasive that he cannot hear others talk. He has had depression and anxiety since his early teens and has social paranoia and delusions. He has not sought a diagnosis.

Kate gained weight in middle age, due to menopause and an addiction to sugar, which had a negative impact on her self-esteem. Kate was motivated to lose weight after concerns over her health, and succeeded in doing this by following a blood sugar diet. Kate feels that discussing weight is difficult, but the government should encourage healthy living through policy.

Liz first attempted to lose weight at 18, and has tried many diets since then. Liz; weight has increased over the years, as she tends to lose a little weight, but put on more than she lost. Liz eats healthily and leads a fairly active lifestyle, and finds her difficulty in losing weight to be frustrating, upsetting and demotivating. Liz continues to follow a weight loss support program, and hopes to lose weight in the future, to improve her health and self-esteem. Liz suffers from osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia, and feels that these health issues, as well as her general energy levels, would improve with weight loss.

Christine started gaining weight in early adulthood. She had complications with diabetes in pregnancy, but was determined to manage this through diet. Since then, Christine's weight has fluctuated, and is particularly influenced by her mental health. Christine hopes to lose weight in the future to improve her self-esteem.

Bette started experiencing pain more than 20 years ago, and was diagnosed with fibromyalgia by a rheumatologist. Bette thinks she missed out on self-management support after her diagnosis and would benefit from a course to learn more coping strategies.

Kath started to experience pains in 2013 and was diagnosed with fibromyalgia by her GP. She feels she would benefit from a more detailed examination and specialist advice on how to self-manage her fibromyalgia.

David is 62 and before giving up his job, worked as a self-employed handyman and bicycle mechanic. He is married with two adult children, who are 27 and 29. Ethnicity: White British. David lost his mother to MND as a teenager. After developing symptoms in 2019, he was diagnosed with MND caused by the C9orf72 genetic variant. David tries to keep up with research and hopes that having information will help members of his family make informed choices.

Liz's middle daughter started cutting when she was 16. She later developed an eating disorder and took an overdose. Liz thinks it is important for parents to let their child know that they want to help and to find a way to communicate.