by brooker » 25 Feb 2014, 17:58
I myself have suffered from depression. There is quite often a stigma about it, but as Andy said, it isn't really anything more than chemical imbalance. I actually didn't recognise it in myself for a couple of years, but occasionally, for up to a few hours at a time, I would feel incredibly low, sometimes to the point of being unable to speak to people. There was nothing in particular that would set it off, it was just something that I'd have to ride out each time. My job at the time wasn't high pressure, but depression made it very hard to keep working. Work were getting on my back for working slower, and I didn't feel able to explain my reasons, as I didn't consider myself depressed.
The hard thing with getting help, was that as soon as my low ended, I would feel absolutely fine almost instantly, and therefore think that I didn't have a problem and put off seeking help. After a couple of years, when I finally saw a doctor, I wasn't on a low, and almost felt like I was faking. Imagine going to your doctor and describing being ill, whilst not actually being ill at the time! I was put on pills, despite criticism from mates, who said things like "man up" and that the drugs were bad for you, and that "everybody has bad moods". They actually worked for me really well, I didn't notice any effect, other than that I wasn't getting in explainable lows anymore. After a few months, I came off the citalopram, and have not had any problems at all since. The worst thing about depression, and anxiety (which often accompanies it), is that you don't want to bother anyone with it, and there can be a vicious cycle of not helping yourself, whilst cutting yourself off from people, and stopping enjoying things you previously enjoyed. I can imagine having such a high pressure job as football manager, whilst suffering from depression would be unbearable. The very fact that Martin is so publicly talking about his condition suggests to me that he is well on the way to recovery.
I myself have suffered from depression. There is quite often a stigma about it, but as Andy said, it isn't really anything more than chemical imbalance. I actually didn't recognise it in myself for a couple of years, but occasionally, for up to a few hours at a time, I would feel incredibly low, sometimes to the point of being unable to speak to people. There was nothing in particular that would set it off, it was just something that I'd have to ride out each time. My job at the time wasn't high pressure, but depression made it very hard to keep working. Work were getting on my back for working slower, and I didn't feel able to explain my reasons, as I didn't consider myself depressed.
The hard thing with getting help, was that as soon as my low ended, I would feel absolutely fine almost instantly, and therefore think that I didn't have a problem and put off seeking help. After a couple of years, when I finally saw a doctor, I wasn't on a low, and almost felt like I was faking. Imagine going to your doctor and describing being ill, whilst not actually being ill at the time! I was put on pills, despite criticism from mates, who said things like "man up" and that the drugs were bad for you, and that "everybody has bad moods". They actually worked for me really well, I didn't notice any effect, other than that I wasn't getting in explainable lows anymore. After a few months, I came off the citalopram, and have not had any problems at all since. The worst thing about depression, and anxiety (which often accompanies it), is that you don't want to bother anyone with it, and there can be a vicious cycle of not helping yourself, whilst cutting yourself off from people, and stopping enjoying things you previously enjoyed. I can imagine having such a high pressure job as football manager, whilst suffering from depression would be unbearable. The very fact that Martin is so publicly talking about his condition suggests to me that he is well on the way to recovery.
