Poor old Sarah Vine

Gonegirl totally agree “happy pills” are anything but happy.

but I feel it is not fair to highlight possible issues with medication in such a manner.

What manner Elvive? It's been discussed in most of the daily newspapers, and on BBC radio and media today, because the side affects of anti depressants need to be brought to the attention of people who are using them and might not be aware of withdrawal symptoms. How is that possibly not fair? It would not be fair to ignore the issue so frankly, I don't care who highlights the issue; what media platform they use to get the message across or who they're married to. What really matters is that mental health, and the medications prescribed for it, have as much information as available to those who need it as possible.

As for "happy pills".... what a disrespectful thing to say.....

OK, a last spin of he dice.....the manner is sensationalising ...

I'm STILL stuck on anti-depressants, which is why I know the U-turn on medical guidance hasn't come a moment too soon

Some may decide to try other routes back to happiness, such as counselling or lifestyle changes. Others with more severe problems will have less choice

It's not about people deciding which route to take back to happiness, nobody chooses to be ill.

I do wonder about the "U turn" when I took anti-depressants over 20 years go I am certain my GP told me they were only to get me through a bad period and I should not become totally reliant on them.
Can you imagine any other illness being treated in such a manner. "Now Mrs Jones you have an inflamed appendix that might rupture, I can offer you some pain killers and you might be OK or an operation, which would you prefer?"

Elvive it’s about people with depression, anxiety or other mental health issues being given alternative tools to manage/cure(?) themselves.

For some long term antidepressants work, for some they need other help be it group therapy, one to one or whatever is helpful to them.

What I am trying to say (somewhat clumsily) is that MH is personal and needs individual help/medication. Anyone with experience of mental health issues should be aware of the pitfalls and maybe less judgmental of others who speak of their experiences.

It seems some posters are happy for MH to be discussed, as long as the person discussing it is not married to a Tory or write for the Daily Mail.

Sadly some GPs do just reach for the prescription pad as shown in my brief experience.

I'm an asthmatic and a long term sufferer from bronchitis. Back in the eighties when I'd just moved from London to Suffolk I was worried about the frequency of these bouts and made an appointment to see my GP. She was on holiday and the locume listened to me for a short while and then wrote a prescription for anti depressants. I asked my sister ( a nurse) about them and she told me not to take them and when I saw my GP next and told her she was shocked.

I've never suffered from depression but know people that have and it is debilitating. Sadly there aren't enough mental health professionals available on the NHS. I deal with a few psychotherapists in my work and judging by the fees that they charge for private consultations they are out of reach for many people.

Surely if people like Alastair Campbell and Prince William talk about depression sufferers may realise that they are not alone and that it is nothing to be ashamed of.

This may come across as bitter . I do hope not. But people such as Prince William do nothing at all to make me feel any better about my life. He who has had every bit of help available to him known to man. He who can pick and choose what he does or doesn’t do in his over privileged life.

Is there perhaps rich and poor depression?

Guess what willy? My children lost their father when they were very young. I had to work my ar*e off to feed and clothe them. I had zero help from a rich father or even richer granny. Depressed ?

Depression is no respecter of wealth, social standing or status; it can affect any one of us, at any time in our lives. The misery it causes is no more, or less, whether you're a prince or a pauper.

Yes I know that Chewbacca and maybe my post did come across as bitter, but wealth can buy you (or a loved one) the best help available which most sufferers do not get.

Thank You, GrannyGravy, the voice of reason. I am going through a particularly bad patch at the moment.

Also I genuinely feel worried about the state of the country and I feel we have all been badly let down.

I don't care for the article or the writer and I am entitled to hold these views.

Gilly. Do you think the grief William suffered after the death of his mother was less than your children’s grief ?

Money is no protection from mental illness

No I do not Annie not at all and I did not suggest it was. The point I was trying to make is that wealth can and does buy the best help and treatment. Something that I and my son could never afford. Also W and H have had very, very privileged lives that have enabled them to experience and enjoy so many things that most of us could only dream of which must help tremendously.

W won’t ever understand that feeling of being so down you don’t know how you can face the day but having to go to work in a sh*t job anyway (who else will pay the bills). That hopeless feeling of having nothing in the world to look forward to, just more of the bloomin’ same cr*p day in and day out.

Should have read through before posting as I meant “something that I could have never afforded for my son....” not for me. I don’t care about me.

gilly do you not realise it is comments like yours has caused mental health to be put on the back burner ?

‘What has he / she got to be depressed about ‘,

I could say the same to you, - I have no family now, my husband is dead, you have your husband, you family with you, what have you got to be depressed about compared to me ? But I know this is unfair and judgmental

Can you not see this is your attitude?

I am not being unkind, just trying to explain the most damaging words are ‘ what have you got to be depressed about’.

I have never ever, said “what have you got to be depressed about” to (or about) anyone annie never !

I realise that depression can effect anyone, young, old, rich poor.

You obviously don’t understand what I am trying to say. So I will leave it right here.

I think I get what you are saying gilly.

It's much easier to get treatment for depression if you can pay for it rather than waiting for NHS treatment for a start.

I think the problem with the rich and powerful talking about depression is that they can and do access the very best in services but they are unwilling to provide the best for everyone else. It's a bit like Marie Antoinette and "Qu'ils mangent de la brioche" only in this case it's "we are ill as well". Great they can talk about it but better if they acknowledged that better services are needed and need funding.

All these celebs who say they are suffering with mental health problems seem to get better quickly. They go into rehab or have counseling. I have been offered counseling but the GP added 'there is a long waiting list though'.

The Labour Party has thrown out a member who speaks out about mental health more than anyone in the public eye

All seem to get better quickly ? This isn’t so, some do not all.

KatyK a lot of "celebs" commit suicide due to depression/anxiety that's not "getting over it quickly".

Yes I apologise. Of course they do. I'm not trivialising serious problems. My own brother took his own life. It's just that I was reading about someone famous who said they had had a nervous breakdown and depression, that it was awful and lasted three weeks.

That example of a '3 week depression' clearly wasn't true depression and just brings into doubt just how many of those increasing numbers of cases of depression are correct.

I have long noticed that these days nobody ever seems to say that they feel sad, unhappy, miserable or down - everyone has to claim to be 'depressed'

They then turn up at the GP surgery, and of course in the 10 minute consultation it would be impossible for the doctor to establish whether the person did really have true depression or not.

Invariably I suspect the patient leaves with a prescription for antidepressants which confirms in their mind that they are ill.

As has been shown in recent newspaper articles, these antidepressants can be very difficult indeed to get off, and I do wonder just how many people swallowing these things realise what they could be letting themselves in for.