A musician schooled in Kingston has spoken on the healing power of music after recovering from a traumatic near-death experience.

Adam Lanceley, who went to the Rokeby School in Kingston, was involved in a near-fatal accident the day before his 10th birthday, suffering a severe brain injury, a smashed pelvis and two broken legs.

In the wake of the ordeal, Mr Lanceley battled physical and mental trauma and has since developed his music career, with an album titled "The Rainbow's Legacy" due out in August this year.

Speaking to the Surrey Comet during last month's Mental Health Week, Mr Lanceley described how the complexities surround mental health were often lost on those who lacked experience dealing with such issues.

"In my experience the thing that is most misunderstood about mental health is what a large and complicated topic it is.

"Everyone's unique so when people say 'Don't worry about it, I understand what you're going through' or words to that effect, more often than not they have no idea," he said.

Despite people often misunderstanding those who are suffering from mental health problems, however, Mr Lanceley added that support from others was also a key element in helping with his recovery, which had been exacerbated by isolation.

"The whole issue of discussing mental health is definitely positive step in the right direction. If you've had any form of depression or mental illness you'll know how destructive the feeling of isolation is.

"Bringing it out in the open helps society understand and instantly makes the condition easier to cope with for the sufferer.

I know that my problems — whatever they've been — have been far easier for me to deal with when I haven't kept them bottled up," Mr Lanceley said.

Like many of his fellow creatives, he found that channelling some of life's most difficult experiences through art helped bring a release.

Sometimes a traumatic experience, Mr Lanceley said, can be virtually impossible to address without the power of something that can transcend social limitation, like art.

"Playing music is one of the most powerful tools there is. Whether it's my own or other artists, whether it's composing or just listening to for pleasure, music can heal wounds that other things can't," he said.

The Rainbow's Legacy is out in August.