My name is Hilary Coveney. I’m an author, artist and crafts person and I have lived experience of Borderline Personality Disorder (sometimes called Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder), Type 1 Diabetes, Hypothyroidism and Anorexia Nervosa. I was recently discharged after a long period in hospital and so I’m at the beginning of a new journey in my life. Learning to Thrive is a collection of the thoughts and images that arise on the way.
My please visit my Facebook Author Page for information on my current projects.
If you enjoy the art work in this blog some of my original pictures and limited edition prints together with my craft items can be found in my Etsy Shop. Please like my companies facebook page for updates on new items.
Publications
Sectioned: My experiences while detained under the mental health act: A memoir about the 3 and a bit years I spent in a range of psychiatric hospitals between 2010 and 2013
Behind Hospital Doors: Experiences in mental hospitals in poems: A collection of poems about hospital life written between 2010 and 2014
Music CD’s
Singing Songs of Christmas: (As part of the Coveney Clan.) This CD of Carols and traditional Christmas music was made by members of my family from me down to my 2 year old nephew in 2014. It aimed to record are Christmas family music making and features a wide range of instrumentals from tin whistle and sleigh bells to church organ. The royalties from this CD go to Baby Basics which is a volunteer-led project aiming to support new mothers who are struggling to meet the financial and practical burden of looking after a new baby. It is also available from Amazon.com
It’s All All Right Love: A CD of traditional and self penned Lullabies from 2009. This is the CD of Lullabies that i describe using to stay calm in hospital in Sectioned. Also available from Amazon.com
Multi Media
A Feel Better Poem was written jointly by me and one of the staff nurses on the Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit in which I was a patient in 2014. After discharge I illustrated it and made this video as a way of showing my appreciation of the work done by every person who works on a PICU.
Learning to Thrive 
Hi, I am half way through your book “sectioned”, I can’t put it down. I’m a mental health support worker and your book is so insightful, it is powerful being able to see from the other side. I wanted to email you and tell you that the book is powerful and beautiful and I think you’re an incredibly strong woman.
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