Depression

[Blindman873]

So sorry to hear, this is one of the hardest subjects to openly talk about. I have a few connections with this, both my brother and a lad I worked with in the past who then actually went on to work in Arb, struggled with this and did the silly thing. It's horrendous.

You don't know the power of just one daft little joke or a chance meeting with an old mate to help change things even if it's just for a few minutes.

There's actually a clip of a Jimmy Carr show where there's someone in the audience tells him that she's only there because of him, she'd stayed up one night after the family had gone to bed and she was going to do the silliest thing but found herself drinking and watching clips on YouTube, she found Jimmy's stuff and it made her laugh in a way like never before. She never went through with it and managed to get help the next day.

We've never met but more than happy to be an ear on the phone if you need it, genuinely.

 

[maybelateron]

Sorry to hear you are feeling so low Les. As others have said, you have made the first step by realising what is going on, opening up about it, and seeking help. I had a fairly severe depression 25yrs ago when I was still a full time GP. I certainly had suicidal thoughts, and I remember one day imagining our three young children and my wife at my funeral. The thought of this stopped me doing anything. I found that medication and seeing a good counsellor helped no end. Over the years I have tried to come off the medication but have concluded that I need to stay on it permanently. If you find that you just can't concentrate/think straight don't think you are dementing etc - with significant depression your whole mental functioning slows down, sleep disturbance, irritability etc until you are beginning to pick up.

I hope that with the right help you are soon feeling better. Best wishes, Charles