For one young lady, the new Mental Health Court has proved a life-changing experience. The 31-year-old had been in and out of trouble while suffering from severe depression and anxiety when she was given the opportunity to embark on a new 18-month programme in the new court.

The mother of three never looked back. Now, after becoming one of seven participants to complete the course, she is back studying at Bermuda College and looking to pursue a legal career.

“Before I got to Mental Health Court I was angry,” she said. “I had a lot of obstacles in my life that I was not quite able to get over.

“That anger and my condition played a huge part in how I dealt with situations. If someone bothered me or said something I did not like I was quick to react and very aggressive. I did not care how the next person would feel.

“My condition spiralled out of control. I was scared to trust anyone and I distanced myself from the people close to me. I ended up by myself.”

In 2012 the Pembroke woman got into a fight and ended up in court and on a probation order.

Three months before she was due to finish that order she breached her probation and found herself locked up in the Co-Ed facility in St George’s.

While she was on remand a court services representative visited her in prison and suggested she participate in the Mental Health Court.

“This was a second chance for me,” she said. “I had my reservations though. I was like, ‘I’m not crazy’, I am not going to Mental Health Court. I felt embarrassed.

“Initially I though it would be a short six-month programme, but then they told me it was 18 months. I could not understand why it had to be so long.”

Despite her reservations the woman enrolled in Mental Health Court under the terms of her sentence in 2014.

“For the first two sessions I just watched,” she said. “But they were so welcoming. They did not make me feel like a criminal.

“They clapped when I made progress and they encouraged me. They accepted me for who I was and I did not feel judged.

“But when I messed up they made it no secret. The team gave me hope for the future and they earned my trust. It was a truly life-changing experience for me and it made me a better person and a better mother.”

The woman become one of the first participants to complete the Mental Health Court programme in November last year.

Since finishing the programme she has taken up further academic courses at Bermuda College as well as the Toast Masters initiative to help with her public speaking.

But she has not forgotten the difference the Mental Health Court made in her life.

Recently she returned to the court to encourage other men and women on the programme and she has agreed to act as the facilitator for the court’s alumni group.

“Mental Health Court was very important to me. It helped me build relationships and it rejuvenated me,” she said.

“The team helped change my life and I see things differently now.

“They reminded me of my potential and gave me hope for the future.”