My mother tried to commit suicide several times after her marriage to my dad ended. She ended up getting sectioned and was hospitalised for a long time. At the time I thought ‘What about me?’ ‘What about us?’ ‘She’s got lots to live for’.
Over time I came to understand that the depression she had sunk in to meant she couldn’t see any of those things anymore. She was in such a dark tunnel she couldn’t see what was once there. The only light at the end of her tunnel was darkness. And death.
She recovered in the end after months of therapy and treatment. This experience taught me so much about mental health and wellbeing. Depression is a terrible illness that needs treatment and support and strategies.
Yet there’s still a stigma. We still don’t admit when we are suffering. We keep calm and carry on. We need to start conversations.
We need to ask; ‘How are you?’ and actually LISTEN to the answer. We need to tune in and spot the signs. We need to become more aware ourselves.
To find out more so you can support those around you, or to get help yourself then follow the link below.
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