Prince Harry speaks out.

Diana would have been very proud of her boys. They have done a lot to help others and do not take their position for granted.

Thats a joke ....right?Firstly they are not BOYS ,they are all the men they'll ever be
secondly they expect the world to revolve around them ,that is patently obvious.
I wish no harm to anyone who lost a parent young,my father lost his mother when he was 12,the rest of his family 2 sisters and a brother were put in homes as his step father couldn't/wouldn't care for them ,my dad was farmed out with a neighbour .He didn't see his sisters until he was grown up and went in search of them .He was a fantastic dad,and the most tolerant of men ,he never once thought he'd had a rough run ,just that thats how life sometimes is .These over privileged young men haven't a clue about real life despite losing a parent ,they were still sheltered and cared for ,no expense spared for them...no having to leave school at 13 and get a job to support themselves.I really think this is just pure PR ,either that or they are so self absorbed they feel no one is giving them enough attention and they have gone out to get some from the media.I cannot understand this royalty worship that goes on,they are just humans .....not gods and we should stop treating them like gods

They sre Certsintly not boys

Wow! No answer to that really! except that no one can help the circumstances of their birth, the financial circumstances of their parents, where those parents choose to live or educate said person or indeed anything else. Would you rather they wore a hair shirt and did abject penance for life and grovel for forgiveness for the accident of their birth, or, as I think most people would prefer,try to do the best they can highlight very serious problems in the best way they can, imperfect though it maybe. Nothing in this world can alter who they are, so to be offensive and bitter is pretty pointless.

I expect they would be to their mother, my son (aged52) is, in my eyes, still my boy, as my daughter (aged 49) is still my girl.

Annie, sending you love and a hug. Please try not to ruminate and blame yourself. It's so easy as a parent when things go wrong, no matter how old our children are. Angry texts followed by loving ones, as you know, often go along with alcohol. Take care of yourself.

Cold, critical and what sound like bitter comments about William and Harry in my view, say much more about the speaker than those young men. It's easy to sneer from the sidelines. We all live the life we're born into. We make mistakes but most of us don't have to grow up in the glare of an often critical public.

Iam, love and hugs back, thank you. These thoughts st times creep in, suppose trying to make some sense from it but I know the answer is the illness not anything I have done or didn't do.,

"We make mistakes but most of us don't have to grow up in the glare of an often critical public." Very well said!

The late Duke of Westminster grew up on a farm in Northern Ireland. He didn't expect to become one of the richest men in the world. He had wanted to become a professional soldier, not the landlord of some of the most valuable parts of London or thousands of acres of Cheshire farmland. He had a breakdown in his forties, from which he never fully recovered. He was Prince William's unofficial life mentor.

Hans Rausing is also immensely rich, but it didn't stop him becoming a drug addict and complete wreck,asevidenced by trying to hide his wife's dead body.

I don't suppose many people have much sympathy for either men because they were born into huge wealth and I'm sure that they received the best treatment money could buy, but it doesn't stop them being human.

Course it isn't annie. You can't say what might have been had circumstances been different, but for certain none of your daughters difficulties are your fault and although I can see that at times you might feel this, it is nothing you have said or done, it is as you say the illness, and I am very sorry that you have, and do have this sad, exhausting and deeply worrying situation.

Indeed it doesn't dd.

My only concern is trying to label grief as a mental illness..it's not. We are all going to experience death. I think mental illness may become the new celebrity ' must have '....yawn!

.^that Prince Harry should not equate grief with mental illness. He did nothing of the sort, of course: what he did was point out that mental health can encompass everything from sadness to schizophrenia, just as physical health spans a spectrum from common colds to cancer^
My post today at 15.13
He did not, we are not, but mental health covers a whole spectrum as above.

I agree with you Ruth and that's what I wrote at the beginning of this thread. Being incredibly sad when somebody dies or being angry about an injustice isn't a mental illness.

I get very frustrated when people say "I'm sooooo depressed" when they've had a bad day at work or split up with a partner.

I'm not saying that people don't suffer genuine grief and that counselling shouldn't be available, because grief can lead to more serious problems, but I do think that the public doesn't really understand mental illness.

I interpret Harry's disclosure as a plea for a change in understanding and culture. A stiff upper lip isn't the solution to any mental disturbance.

Aw Niggly X

daphnedill Sat 22-Apr-17 17:39:51
Good post daphnedill

I do think, however, losing your mother at 12 in a shocking accident is quite different to a bereavement which happens at a normal life-span. Being unable to work through that grief could cause mental health problems beyond those of a feeling of depression (different from clinical depression) caused by a bereavement.

anniebach I do hope your daughter comes through this with help and medication and gets on an even keel again.

I agree with you Jalima. I'm not a follower of royal family gossip, but I think it might be useful to put ourselves into Harry's shoes. From what I know, his parents had an unhappy marriage. Both had affairs. If he ever read newspapers and magazines, there were stories about his parents, which presented images of his parents which didn't coincide with his own view of his parents. It really must have been something which most of us don't understand.

All the time, the paparazzi were just interested in photos and gossip, which reduced Harry and William to celebs. I wonder how many people who resent his privilege would really swap their childhood for his.

I totally agree jalima and dd, also Harry's had to contend with a question mark over his paternity again in the full glare of world publicity and accompanying gossip; this must have been really horrible for him. So yes, this young man, privileged as he is, has had his full share of emotional trauma.

One positive result is threads such as this, which has been a forum for discussion about mental health issues.

Who was trying to label grief as mental illness? Why is there a need for some posters to be so pedantic about this subject, ANYONE who can help someone else to deal with grief, depression,sadness, loneliness etc etc should at the very least be acknowledged as trying to do some good by opening about these conditions so that sufferers so they don't feel so isolated & alone , does it matter what we call it ? Grief can turn into depression, as can any other human condition
Now what is that saying ? Oh yes I know. ..., Walk a mile in my shoes, before you crtiisise & abuse ..... maybe a thought for the day ladies... ?

Apologies for missed words , but hope you get my drift

Do you mean me as one of the "some posters"?

If so, the reason I'm pedantic is that I've suffered from depression all my adult life and I know the difference between depression and grief. I do think the difference is relevant.

I'm not criticising people who try to help, but sometimes it isn't helpful. Sometimes people think that depression has to have a cause, but sometimes it really doesn't. Most people understand grief after (for example) a bereavement. The problem arises when people look for a cause and there isn't an obvious one. Then they say things such as "I don't know what you've got to be depressed about", which doesn't solve anything and makes the sufferer feel even worse with feelings of guilt and inadequacy.

There's some evidence on this thread that some people think Prince Harry should get over it and that somehow his depression (if that's what he's had) isn't so bad as that suffered by somebody less privileged.

I thunk wealth can ease depression , if on a low income comes more to make one depressed , having to get to work but getting out of bed leaves one exhausted, long waiting times for professional help. Harry was able to travel the world, have the best oriffiinal help money can buy, none if these cures depression but they do help ease it

Maybe. It can also make it worse, if you feel you have to keep up a brave face. When I've been acutely depressed, there's no way I could have travelled the world, even if I'd been a billionaire. None of knows what Harry's like when the photographers haven't been around.

Ruby Wax and Stephen Fry have both spoken openly of being able to make public appearances while feeling like poo. Fry has said that he sees himself as an outsider and disconnected from the real person. He's walked out of performances a couple of times, because he couldn't cope. I guess he also has the money to buy the best treatment.

I agree with you that depression can lead to debt, etc which makes the situation worse and rich people don't have to worry about that, but it still doesn't stop the depression in the first place.

Harry's message seemed to be not to soldier on, but ask for help as early as possible. I agree that the help is inadequate, but for many, asking for the help is the first stage of treatment and it doesn't matter how rich you are. Sometimes it's too difficult to ask for the help in the first place.

Asking for help and being told it will take months does not help

Everyone has very valid points,for 30 plus years my ex tried everything to help his depression some on NHS ,& some paid for when we could afford it, in the end he just learnt to live with it which seems to be what many sufferers do, it just seems such a shame to me that Prince Harry is being slated by some because he can afford professional help, (as can many other people, )but,obviously their are lots of people who cannot & yes the waiting time is bad, it seems to me that Prince Harry Is just trying to let others know how hard it is to admit it to ones self & to talk about it. So he is hoping that if he can be open about it (yes with all his privalages!)then that may help to remove the real & perceived stigma that many people are fearful of. surely that in its self is praiseworthy & positive so why slate it! ?? I just don't get it!!

Neither do I norose.