A MAN attempted suicide twice after he had a cardiac arrest when he suffered an electric shock at his workplace.

Paul Davies was left with severe anxiety after suffering the 430 bolt electric shock 12 years ago when he was 16-years-old and had just left secondary school.

Since then the father-of-two has attempted suicide on two separate occasions, the latest being in January when he overdosed.

Now he is on the road to recovery and recently became a qualified Football Association coach.

Mr Davies joined Blackburn Rovers Community Trust's Social Inclusion Football League (SILF) in April which uses the power of football to support people with mental health issues.

Speaking out to mark World Mental Health Day, he said: "“I lost my full time job of nine years because of mental health issues and I received my final pay off last August.

"I went really downhill from there because and I got myself back into a rut and every day was a struggle.

“I would wake up in the morning and every day would be a battle. My mental health problems began 12 years ago after my accident.

“I tried taking my life seven years ago and I tried once again earlier this year with an overdose, but since getting involved with Blackburn Rovers Community Trust and Creative Support, I have structure in my life again.

“I haven’t looked back since. SIFL has helped massively and the league is very well organised with everyone making you feel welcome straight away.

"It is good because everyone else is in the same boat and recovering from something that has impacted their life in a negative way. I am now consistently doing something which I enjoy and I now have the confidence to socialise because I found it difficult to go out and socialise.

“I have made some new friends and I am now a qualified FA Level 1 coach working towards my Level 2 qualification. I have always wanted to be a coach but I never had the belief to do it, but now I am volunteering working for a local junior team and applying for full time coaching jobs, roles I never thought I would stand a chance of doing.”

Meanwhile, national eating disorder charity Beat is calling on employers to be more responsible and support workers suffering with an eating disorder.

Figures released by eating disorder charity Beat show one in three sufferers experience stigma or discrimination at work with 40 per cent saying their employers' impact on their recovery was unhelpful.

To mark World Mental Health Day today they are calling on workplaces to do a number of things including allowing time for hospital appointments, allowing longer for lunch breaks, allowing flexible working and educating the workforce.

Katherine Knowles, 35, from Burnley developed anorexia when she was 14, and was treated after 12 months.

She said: “I am lucky to work in health and social care where knowledge and understanding of eating disorders is prevalent. Despite this I was still worried about the stigma around eating disorders and it has taken me a long time to be honest and open about the difficulties I have.

“I find that my experience with my own mental health has assisted me working in the business I do managing a residential home.

"It has helped me understand and appreciate the difficulties faced by people and I feel I can empathise with the people who use our service.

"This also extends to staff who have their own mental health needs and struggles.

"I do think mental health stigma is decreasing in severity but at the same time hear stories of people being penalised and/or judged by employers. I am determined to not fall into that category as I have been on the receiving end in the last place I worked.”

Tom Quinn, director of external affairs at Beat said: “On this day it is crucial to highlight eating disorders and their implications for somebody who works or studies at university; we are often contacted by people worried about their colleagues and employees on our helpline.

“Often, employees with eating disorders present little difficulty at work and excel at their job. Whatever difficulties they have, they are likely to make strenuous efforts to keep their illness to themselves to avoid their disorder being noticed.

“Workplaces can play an active role in tackling stigma and supporting a person’s recovery by making reasonable adjustments.

“For this reason, the stigma and misunderstanding experienced by so many in the workplace must be replaced with support and understanding led by a formal mechanism of support.”

Beat estimates 1.25 million men and women of all ages and backgrounds, are affected by an eating disorder in the UK. Anorexia has the highest mortality rate of any mental illness but recovery is possible.