MrMouse
Bob Loudon (25)
I'm glad that you were brave enough to be honest. I've been dealing with depression, sometimes very badly, since a very young age. I tried being open early on and it backfired, finding myself actually as well as mentally ostracised, and belittled for my illness and honesty.Well said shtina, if anyone is unsure if they have depression or think they might the first step can be to go to your gp. Opening up to friends and family can be one of the hardest things to do but if you go to your gp they can get you a referral for a therapist or psychologist and they have to keep patient doctor confidentiality. Honestly though it is extremely cathartic to be open about it. Start with one person who you trust and work your way from there. One of the most touching things was when I told my best mate (who's a 6'4 big unit) I had battled with depression for years and he started crying. People only ever want the best for you and there's no shame in depression, it's just that often we hide it to protect the ones we love but in doing so you cannot treat it and end up doing yourself more harm. Hope that helps.
From there it took over a decade to even be able to be truly open with medical professionals, and while I think I've pretty much managed to learn openness and communication with my family, most friends and co-workers have no idea.
I have a feeling reading the rest of this thread is going to produce some waterworks. Damn you twitter.