AN INSIDER VIEW OF ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION

Hi my name is Emma, I am 33.

A few years ago if someone would have told me I would loose 2 years of my life due to severe depression and general anxiety disorder, be admitted 3 times into a psychiatric hospital and survive an overdose, I would have said ‘no way, not me, that sort of thing doesn’t happen to people like me’ – I was well brought up, with a great education and lived a comfortable life, settled in a job in fashion which I loved, living with my best friend and had a great circle of friends - with nothing unusual to complain about. How wrong could I be?

Along with depression and anxiety I have also been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. This has all effected my life and what I value dramatically and changed the path in life that I thought for 20 years I was going to take. I thought I would remain in fashion for the rest of my carreer but this experience has made me change my path and I am going to studyt counselling with an aim to bcome an art therapist

ABOUT ME

Well educated. Good job. Well brought up. Living in a dream flat with her best friend. Doing her dream job. With a great circle friends.

You would not think she would spend. 3 years yo yoing in and out of a psychiatric hospital.

Be 31 and have to move back home with her parents and lose touch with a majority of friends, isolating herself.

Well, this is me.

This is my life.

I am 1 in 4.

I am diagnosed with general anxiety disorder, recurrent depression. borderline personality disorder and ADD (wow what a list!!!!).

This whole experience has changed my life, and lifelong values dramatically. I thought I would be working in fashion for the rest of my life, however I have now decided to retrain as a counsellor with the aim to then go on to be an art therapist.

Although this whole journey (which is still not over) has been a nightmare I have learnt so much about myself and who I am, and I hope to help others do the same.

"THE STRUGGLE

IS REAL"

In this blog I am writing from my experience of severe depression and anxiety and what I have learnt on my journey. I am not pretending to know everything about anxiety and depression, but I have been admitted into hospital 3 times and been in a continuous struggle for 2 years (probably more if I am honest) so speak purely from my experience, not from a doctors or psychologists’ point of view.

The aim of this blog to give hope and coping methods to those suffering and advise friends and family what they can do to help and support the person experiencing depression and anxiety. It is important that both sides know what is happening, what they are feeling and that they are not alone.

There is a terrible stigma with all mental health issues and this is something that needs to stop. It needs to stop being such a taboo subject people tiptoe around talking about. It needs to be spoken about as openly as a broken leg or cancer, after all at least 1 in 4 people suffer from it at least at one point in their lives