SHE was a loved mum who made life 'brighter, louder and much more fun'.

But at 2am on February 7 last year, the mental illness that Christine Wilson battled for decades, robbed her family of a special person who loved singing badly, making people cry with laughter and helping anyone in need.

The previous afternoon, Christine suffered an episode of psychosis that caused her to jump from cliffs at a popular Purbeck beauty spot, believing she was the Devil.

Determined the 57-year-old's death will not be another harrowing reminder of the toll mental health has on thousands of lives each year, Christine’s children Dave, 27, and Lora, 29, have courageously chosen to share their heartbreaking personal experience.

They want to share the human story behind the devastating statistics to end the stigma surrounding suicide and mental health and encourage people to speak out and get support.

Dave, said: “Mum had experienced mental health problems since I was born in 1989, and was initially diagnosed with post-natal depression. The pills didn’t work and the therapy wasn’t enough. Her GP was dismissive of her problems and over the years her mental health deteriorated.

“After years of struggling and ill health, numerous suicide attempts and being sectioned, she was finally diagnosed with bi-polar, anxiety and OCD. This diagnosis brought with it the right medication and the right support.”

Her family, though, refused to allow their mother to be defined by her dark battles.

“In spite of her illness, she was the most amazing mum,” Dave said.

“She was always there to help me and my sister, or anyone in need. She would make us cry with laughter and always found the humour in any situation.

“She taught us to look out for other people, to be compassionate, to care and to act. She loved singing (badly) and French cinema.

“She liked sausages but hated broccoli (although this didn’t stop her from feeding it to us every day!)

“She enjoyed dancing and playing the saxophone. She treated us as equals and respected our choices even at a young age. She taught us to win and she taught us to lose.

“She made life brighter, louder and much more fun, but then her illness would take over.”

In the depths of her bipolar, Christine experienced psychosis, which causes people to perceive or interpret things differently from those around them including hallucinations or delusions.

“She would receive messages from the radio, music, internet articles and even see them in the light and shadows. She believed she was God reincarnate and that she was here to save humanity," Dave explained.

“Her OCD would also rouse itself during her low or anxious periods and she would be crippled by the thought that she would somehow cause someone harm. She would be compelled to constantly clean and organise, wash her hands (and ours when we were little!) and would have to check on all her tenants to ensure they were still alive, that they hadn’t been electrocuted in the shower or suffered carbon monoxide poisoning in their sleep.

“Although she was able to live a full and exciting life while stable, these episodes took their toll and the side effects of the medication she was taking as well as the effects of the radiation she had for breast cancer during all this didn't help.”

These effects included failing kidneys, oral mucositis, IBS, painful swelling of her feet and hands and would at times find it impossible to leave the house.

Her final episode began in December 2015 and escalated through the New Year.

Dave, an operations manager, said: “Tragically as the messages she received increased in frequency and became ever more conflicting, her condition worsened until on February 6, she was led to believe that she was the Devil.

“At this point, in a rushed frenzy, she wrote a note, that read: ‘I'm sorry. I thought I was God.’ She signed it ‘The Devil.’”

Christine, from Swanage, who loved the beach so much she'd even take her children to eat ice-creams there in winter, jumped from the cliffs at Peveril Point that afternoon and suffered severe injuries when she hit rocks below.

The incident was seen by a duty watch keeper from the nearby Coastwatch lookout, who comforted her until help arrived.

She was taken to hospital for treatment but died from her injuries at 2am the next morning surrounded by her family including ex-husband Mark and her current partner Peter, from Swanage.

“Losing your mum is awful. There’s nothing quite like it and to lose her to suicide is incredibly lonely. People don’t want to talk about suicide and get uncomfortable if it comes up in conversation but unless we start talking about it, more people are going to take this path and more families will experience the horrendous loss that we’ve experienced this past year.”

Dave will take on the London Marathon later this month in his mum’s memory and with the help of his sister Lora, they are hoping to raise £10,000 for charity Mind, which supports and campaigns for those experiencing mental health problems.

He said: “Mum is now at peace and that brings me comfort, but it won't change that her life was unfairly cut short. Had she been given the right diagnosis sooner and received the right help and support, she could still be with us.

“It's too late for our lovely mum, but it's not too late for the millions of other people who are struggling. I hope that by doing this, I'll also be a part of a wider conversation around mental health and suicide that will see more people accessing the support they so desperately need.”

To support Dave go to virginmoneygiving.com/daveslondonmarathon