I helped Coronation Street capture the reality of Carla Connor’s psychosis. I’ve seen firsthand that soaps can be radical trailblazers

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Severe cases of depression can cause psychosis, acute drug or alcohol intoxication can also result in psychosis and, as is the case in Carla’s story, stress, trauma and grief can also result in psychosis. Many of the people who lived in the accommodation there experienced severe or enduring mental health problems – and for many this included psychosis. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Given that most of the people I spoke to in that service had experienced upsetting instances of stigma, I’d say that the soap played a huge role in challenging the stereotypes around psychosis. When I first spoke to Coronation Street about Carla’s story, I thought it was brilliant that we were going to see how psychosis can take a headstrong character and make her feel vulnerable – rather than turning a less assertive character into something violent.