Joe Perkins

Trustee.

Joe has suffered with chronic Depersonalisation & Derealisation since 2008.  Like many sufferers, his diagnosis only came about following many late-night Googling sessions and discovering the condition himself – on realising that his symptoms simply couldn’t have been anything else, DPDR was ‘pitched’ to the professionals and this subsequently brought about an official diagnosis by the Maudsley Hospital. Joe is a guitarist based in Bristol, having studied Commercial Music at university and learnt various instruments from a young age. 

Since graduating, the pursuit of a career in the industry has been forced to take a back seat in the daily battles of living with depersonalisation – however, music remains central to his life and a key factor in keeping him motivated & stable.

“The brilliant thing about creativity is that we can use it to let out things we couldn’t otherwise verbalise.  Plus, producing art can act as a very important personal diary when struggling with your mental health: I spend my entire life feeling like nothing is real & not feeling many emotions, but I can look back at music I’ve made over the years and remind myself that despite how chronic things have become, I can still function and do what I love.”

Joe also runs the YouTube channel DPD Diaries – an endeavour aimed at assisting other sufferers in their daily lives & accessing the correct treatments.  Having battled for his own diagnosis; been through many therapy programs; trialled medications; and has had to adapt his views on life to accommodate the DPDR, Joe aims to pass this knowledge on and help others feel less lost and alone when living with the condition.