My occupational therapist gave me hope when I had none. That's why I became one

She saw me as a person rather than a mental health inpatient. Now I work to help other people in the same situation I was in• Guardian Jobs: see the latest vacancies in healthcareWhen I was a mental health inpatient with an eating disorder, I often felt overlooked, ignored and labelled as a number. I was relentlessly assessed, poked and prodded by nurses and doctors, and questioned about my life history and social circumstances. I was left fatigued and devalued: it seemed as if no one read