Harriet Barnsley, a crash survivor whose best friend was killed as they waited for a bus in Birmingham, has opened up about her experience with psychosis since the horrific incident. The driver was speeding at 101mph when he struck them on a sunny Saturday evening in May 2014. Her childhood friend Rebecca McManus, also 21, died instantly. Harriet, then 21, survived but was left permanently disabled and living with psychosis.
Living with psychosis after trauma
Harriet does not remember the day of the crash but has since learned the details. She now lives with psychosis, a condition where people lose some contact with reality. The NHS lists three main symptoms: hallucinations, delusions, and disordered thinking and speaking. For Harriet, one delusion was believing she was dead. She said: "The first time ever having psychosis is very hard to recognise. From the inside, you have no idea what's going on and you have no point of reference. You can't rationally work out, 'Oh, okay, me thinking I'm dead is a mental illness'."
Helping others with psychosis
Now 33, Harriet is trying to help others who experience psychosis. She said: "Some people with psychosis argue that it's always hard to recognise. I've paid attention to the symptoms and the warning signs enough to know when I'm getting ill and to catch it. I firmly believe that you can. So I want to help people prevent relapses and help support people." She receives many messages asking how to support loved ones with psychosis. She advises that there is no set of instructions for a crisis, but people should research the condition and try their best.
Recovery and moving on
Harriet has a final message for those facing hardship: "When something bad happens, we don't know how to deal with it, but no one else will really fully support you. Turns out, you have to fix it yourself and make it better yourself. The first step to recovery is accepting something awful has happened and then you get stronger. The power is within you. No one else can make it better for you." She is currently writing a psychosis guide and shares her advice and experiences on TikTok.
