Poor old Sarah Vine

I don't think the article is anything at all about getting publicity for her husband's bid for Con. leader. She just writes a column. For better or for worse.

I don't think her article helps anyone.It's just personal to her. Not interested.

There are no better avenues than antidepressants. CBT only works for a fairly short length of time.

I haven't either Callistemon but it gets right up my nose hearing about " celebrities " et al with their supposed mental health issues, when in this case it would seem that it's more beneath SV to put her bin out than any mental health problem-----God help them !!

You can't always separate reactive depression from clinical. You can have depression lurking in the background and life happenings can bring it to the fore. It's all depression basically.

Please excuse me posting this response from a reader of today's Mail. "Maybe they should be asking themselves why Britain prescribes more anti depressants than other countries. Look at the social fabric of our country, breakdown of family and community support, hugely overstretched mental health services, breakdown of the benefits system leaving thousands at breaking point and reliant on food banks. Who wouldn't be depressed ?"

You can't always separate reactive depression from clinical. You can have depression lurking in the background and life happenings can bring it to the fore

How very true Gonegirl.

I am pretty sure that I suffer from reactive depression brought on by my own circumstances. I have always tried my best to do everything for everyone whilst inside I feel like I am trying to contain a volcano that could erupt at any time. I spend my time wishing my life away from Monday to Friday and only feel like I am alive 2 days of the week. I know this does not count for "real" clinical depression but often it is very hard to see the light at the end of a never ending tunnel. Sometimes I walk alone on the beach and just cry and cry at the hopelessness of it all.

No tablet or treatment could help me overcome how I feel. Just a change in circumstances.

gillybob ???

I love it when the wives try to help their blokes get on. Can't wait for the ex. Mrs Johnson to announce
"Boris can't keep it in his trousers but he'd make a good PM"

Yes Gillybob " circumstantial depression " is about the worst feeling, indescribable and also incurable except through change only, which in part can be impossible. As the years progress, instead of feeling like an impending volcano it ends like a fizzled out banger and you're left with " those feelings from the past " that have sapped every part of your energy if you're unlucky. In other words your past catches up with you, healthwise.
It's taken me years to get over the turbulences that life brought and fortunately my mental state remains intact ( how ?? ) but because of my " stiff upper-lip " attitude I display the physical symptoms that bodily stress brings-------knackered !!
I feel for you Gillybob x

No idea who this lady is am I missing anything or shall I carry on in my ignorance

I don’t think depression is nonsense and good on her for highlighting her struggles. My son suffers from depression and will probably be on medication for years. He has tried to stop by reducing gradually but he always needs to start increasing the dose. Elvive I think a lot of people would be offended by your comment.

OK, I suffer from depression and have for many years. Quite clearly I don't believe that health problems are suitable fodder for opportunistic and sensationalist writing. If it was The Guardian, I would feel the same.
The research SV mentions in her original article about depression is by Dr. James Davies who clearly has firm views. I don't believe that the Mail is on the side of some sort of battle to protect (mostly) women from the harmful effects of antidepressants. I think they are meddling in an area which is out of their remit.

I have now read the article and did not find it opportunistic or sensationalist in the slightest.
Rather, I found that Sarah Vine barely mentioned her own problems unless they were relevant and it was an interesting piece of journalism pertaining to the present news about MH and the possibly careless prescribing of anti-depressants, which is currently being addressed.
It was coupled with an article written by a NHS psychiatrist as well.

I think your OP does show your bias against SV, her husband and the newspaper where this appeared, though, so the OP would appear to be more political than an opportunity for a discussion about MH services in this country.

Perhaps if Michael Gove should become PM, his wife may apply some much-needed pressure to improve MH services so that MH services will be better funded and the automatic reach for the prescription pad be considered more carefully, since more anti-depressant drugs are prescribed in the UK than many other countries.

gillybob a hug for you and hope that everything improves in the future. I know how much you have to contend with

I would suggest that language such as " The pill that steals lives" and " I'm still stuck on antidepressants"

"antidepressants are being used up and down the country as a quick fix for all sorts of problems"

"still stuck on the 'happy pills'"..........is emotive.

OK let's discuss MH services in this country. So, some time ago Mrs May made the promise of more MH help for schools and young people unfortunately she didn't make any funding available for this and anyone involved in education knows that schools are currently cutting staff because they simply can't afford to keep them. So presumably the responsibility for MH will remain, as it has always been, observed and provided by over worked teachers. So thinking that because the Tories make the right noises and discuss this openly doesn't mean that they will actually DO anything, not if involves money anyway.

I think that is right, though, Elvive, in some cases.
It certainly has stolen years from my dear relative's life (and the family's) when other avenues of help should have been explored instead of a GP reaching for the prescription pad.

And this is a longstanding problem - not just recent although the rate of prescribing has increased dramatically over recent years.

It's a complex issue and not one to be reduced to a few sentences. I have never experienced a GP reaching for a prescription pad.

I would suggest that language such as " The pill that steals lives" and " I'm still stuck on antidepressants"
"antidepressants are being used up and down the country as a quick fix for all sorts of problems"
"still stuck on the 'happy pills'"..........is emotive.

But surely Elvive as a sufferer of depression, as you say you are, you'd know better than anyone that depression is an emotive subject.

SV has simply reiterated what most other national media are reporting today i. e. that anti depressants can become addictive and patients should be made aware of this when they are prescribed them. Surely, as a fellow sufferer of depression, you must be glad that she's drawing attention to something that many people may not be aware of.

So; is it SV you have a problem with? Her politics? Her husband? The media platform she chose to speak to? What?

Gillybob, no use me suggesting that a visit to the doctor could in fact, well help you? Wish you would give it a try. You shouldn't be feeling that down, no matter what.

Depression has no need to be an emotive subject, in the same way that poor physical health has no need to become emotive. It is a nasty, debilitating illness and those who suffer should be able to talk it through with health professionals.

I just don't believe that the SV article is done out of kindness or concern or a genuine wish to alert sufferers to possible pit falls with medication. There are other agendas at play. A well written and well informed article by an impartial professional could have been very helpful, not a picture of a down cast woman who is hooked on happy pills.
I don't care for her writing, her persona, her husband or the paper.

Elvive

You say :-

" I don't care for her writing, her persona, her husband or the paper."
---

Begs the question for what you read her article for?

Sarah Vine was following up on an article she did last year about depression the ' Black dog ' days and anti depressants, as a Daily Mail reader did you read it?

Mental Health has for a while become a much discussed topic, rightly so. I don't have any issue with anybody relating their opinion or personal experience whether it be Sarah Vine, Footballers, Royalty, MP's old Uncle Tom Cobley as their opinion/experience may chime with an other who is feeling as depressed/anxious and it may help them to understand somebody else feels as they do.

Just because you are dealing with depression in one way it does not mean others will be following your path and I dare say would not think to challenge what pathway you choose.

If you had chose to speak about depression, anxiety, antidepressants criticising Sarah Vines article it may have had more meaning to other posters to engage in a serious topic. As you seem hell bent on getting your point over your distain for her, her husband and the paper she writes for I think it doesn't take a genius to understand what you hoped this thread would take the shape of bashing the Goves and the Daily Mail.

No, not " hell bent", expressing a preference, which I believe I can do?

Couldn't care less about the Goves. I don't like the way a serious and very very complex subject is used .

People are free to follow any path they wish but I feel it is not fair to highlight possible issues with medication in such a manner.

Anyhow, I'm done. I haven't the stomach for the bickering any more.

Anyone who calls antidepressants "happy pills" is really showing their ignorance on the subject. Not to mention being offensive.