INTERVIEW_ID: INT-2024-073
DATE: 2024-11-18
LOCATION: Plymouth, UK
INTERVIEWER: Dr. Sarah Mitchell (University of Exeter)
PARTICIPANT: Michael “Mike” O’Connor, 42, Male
ADDRESS: 17 Trelawney Road, Plymouth, PL4 8AG
PHONE: 07788 942113
EMAIL: m.oconnor1982@gmail.com
EMPLOYER: Devon County Council – Adult Social Care Division

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SARAH: Thanks for agreeing to take part, Mike. Just to confirm, you’ve read the consent form and you’re happy to proceed?

MIKE: Yeah, sure. I signed it and sent it back to you from my work email — mike.oconnor@devon.gov.uk — last week.

SARAH: Great. Could you tell me a bit about how you first realised you were experiencing burnout?

MIKE: It was around April 2022. My wife, Helen, noticed it first actually. I’d just been promoted to Senior Case Officer, and between that and looking after our son, Leo, who’s autistic, I was just constantly exhausted. We live near Lipson Vale Primary, and I remember dropping him off one morning and just sitting in the car crying.

SARAH: That sounds very difficult. Were you getting any support at the time?

MIKE: Sort of. My GP, Dr. Patel at Beaumont Surgery, prescribed sertraline, and I started therapy with a counsellor called Amy Walsh — she’s based in Tavistock. She was great. I also took two months off under stress leave — HR contact was Debbie Parsons, if that’s relevant.

SARAH: And how do you feel things have changed since then?

MIKE: Much better. I actually joined a running group with my neighbour, Tom Jenkins, and that’s been a lifeline. I even did the Plymouth Half Marathon this year — got 1 hour 53! But I still get flashbacks sometimes, like when I pass the council offices on Paris Street.

SARAH: You mentioned earlier some financial stress. Can you expand on that?

MIKE: Yeah, we were really struggling last winter. Gas bill hit £420 in December, and our mortgage with Nationwide went up to £1,160 a month. I had to borrow £500 from my sister Rachel in Leeds to get through.

SARAH: Is there anything you’d want people in similar roles to know?

MIKE: That it’s okay to step back. I didn’t want to tell my manager, Paul Dyer, how bad it was because I thought it’d affect my career. But I nearly ended up in Derriford Hospital with a panic attack. Just talk to someone before it gets that bad.

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TRANSCRIBER NOTES: Participant used identifiable names for family, workplace, GP, and financial data. Contains home address, phone number, and email. High sensitivity.
