Cliff Rises from the ashes

Experiencing a lack of continuity of care had become a way of life for 57-year-old Cliff Adams until he came to the attention of Rise, a community support network with a base in Midland, providing him with a framework to ‘rise again’.

Life hit a standstill for Cliff in 1993 when he suffered a mental breakdown.

The diagnosis was a major depressive disorder and diabetes. Recovery is ongoing and continuous.

‘There were two fairly big issues in my life that weren’t dealt with at the time and they came back to bite me,’ he said. ‘It was like someone had flicked a switch in my head and from then on I found it hard to keep regular employment.’

When he reflects on his past as a family man, a quantity surveyor and a stint as a touring musician with a well-known band, happy memories become overshadowed by sadness rather than pride.

However, he recognises he has moved on and is in a far better place than he was nine months ago, homeless and sleeping rough in a car.

‘I have lost pretty much everything, my self-respect, my job, my wife and friends’