Anxiety & Depression

I'm not sure if the time is right for me to post this here as this is something I am still dealing with, but I feel like I am making a recovery right now and I am in a better place than I have been in for a while. I want to talk about anxiety & depression, something I have been dealing with for some time now, a little on my own but now I am seeking help and I have the support of my family and my loving boyfriend.

The statistics for mental health in the UK alone are staggering, 1 in 4 people in the UK will suffer with a mental illness over the course of a year. That's a lot of people, and I would hate to think that anyone would suffer alone, but people do. And if I can help one person by just talking about this on such an open forum then I would feel that I had made an impact.

I want to stress how important it is to speak to someone, anyone. My recovery has been slow but effective and it's thanks to speaking to someone. The first person I really spoke to was Ian and wanting to plan our future together I was really inspired to sort my head out. I was sick of feeling down ...something that was really hard for me to come out and say.

I spoke to my GP and I was referred to a councillor, who has been nothing but wonderful for me. And I have nothing but good things to say about the NHS, my referral was super quick and my GP and therapist have been fantastic to speak to. I can't comment on anyone in any other part of the world, but I know the NHS have been wonderful. I have also been prescribed anti-depressants which the jury is still out on.

I suffer with serious anxiety and I have panic attacks over what would seem to be small things. I struggle to go anywhere busy (or not busy for that matter). But I have made a promise to myself that I will get better.

One thing I hate more than anything is the serious lack of understanding for mental health issues, what if we were to treat physical illnesses the same way mental illness is treated? It wouldn't be acceptable! Mental illnesses can be just as debilitating as some physical illnesses. Mental illness shouldn't be, and isn't something to be ashamed of. I know it's not easy to speak about it openly, and certainly something that I'm sure nobody would want to broadcast to the whole world, but people should feel comfortable to speak about these things openly where appropriate to them.

I am in no way a mental health expert, nor am I a doctor or a therapist, this is just me talking about my own experiences. Please, if you are worried about your own mental health or someone else's, talk to someone. If you feel like you have nobody to talk to, please feel free to email me or comment on this post, go to your doctor, talk to family or friends. Someone, anyone. I promise you are not alone.

Elizabeth x

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