Mental health

There has been a lot about mental health in the news with Paul Gascoigne's and Britney's troubles. Mental illness scares the cr*p out of me, because you can't rely on yourself. Your thoughts and beliefs will not be based in reality. And if you can't trust yourself who can you trust? If you break an arm you know you've broken yourr arm and to get help. You probably won't realise your mentally ill because it becomes normal for you.There is a stigmas sttached to mental illness so sufferers may be too ashamed to get help.
When I was depressed (when I start sentances like that it reminds me of Uncle "during the war") it was horrific. It took me a long time to admit that I wasn't just down, that I would get over it and that I needed to see a doctor. I really believed that seeing a doctor would be a waste of time. I had thoughts racing through my head all the time, I thought I smelled, a feeling of keeping tears at bay, that people were laughing at me and when I'd wake up in the mornings I felt really scared. During all this I had a base line feeling of flatness. Antidepressants did help - they stopped the swirling thoughts. I had therapy as well and that really helped. I'm now a great believer in therapy and would recommend it.I'd say it took about 3 years to get through to the other side. Depression seems to go in cycles, with gradually wider gaps between each episode. I learnt to recognise the warning signs and to get help quickly. I was blessed by having a fantastic support system, if I couldn't trust myself at least I could trust them. Well him really, as Steve bore the brunt of it. It was Steve that forced me to the Doctor's, and I'm very thankful that he did.