I have changed my mind. I have just posted the following on my personal page and I would be a hypocrite if I did not re-post it to the much wider audience I have here. So Im being brave, here goes: Today has been a bit of a revelation. Prior to today, I knew about five or six friends who had suffered with depression and/or anxiety. The figures state that 1 in four of us do. By the end of today Ive come to know many more of my friends that have. It goes to show that most of us do a pretty good job of hiding it, and do our very best to stay strong whilst struggling quietly with a destructive illness. The nature of the beast though means that someone suffering with it wont generally tell people around them at the time, its only when feeling well that we are able to share how we have felt in the past. Whether suffering from depression or not we all need each others understanding in life, and its important that we apply understanding and patience to those suffering with mental illnesses in the same way as we would do a physical illness. During one of my bouts of depression, I broke my leg. I found it staggering how people who knew I was suffering with depression had really struggled to deal with me in that respect but as soon as I had a physical injury, suddenly they were able to ask how I was and wish me well. The broken leg was a mild and less debilitating ailment than my depression and yet was taken far more seriously by others. My therapist and I came to the conclusion that all those diagnosed with depression should have a cast applied, just so that colleagues, friends and others could support them in their recovery more constructively. Like my broken leg, my depression impeded me, but was treatable and I recovered from it. Unfortunately, all my treatment from my broken leg was covered on the NHS, whereas much of my treatment for depression had to be private as was not available on the NHS. So there seems to to be a contradiction even within our own health service on the matter. But by talking more openly about mental illness we can make a difference. Please show the same compassion and understanding no matter what is ailing someone. People dont die of broken legs and they should not have to die from depression either.
Posted on: Tue, 12 Aug 2014 19:58:10 +0000
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