Letter: So much more than a bad mood
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I WAS sorry that Eleanor Bailey failed to take the opportunity to put across the real horror and danger of depression (Life Doctor, Real Life, 11 April). It is not "misery". It is not "the blues". It is not "a bad mood". It can't be alleviated by jokey remarks from friends.
The experience of full-blown depression is one of such agony that many take their own lives to get rid of it. It can involve crying all day and being totally unable to operate, go to work or even, in some cases, get up in the morning; or it can feel as if you are blotted off from the world completely, a feeling of such isolation that you might as well be in solitary confinement. It is often characterised by a deep-seated conviction that "this is how life is", that it is not worth asking for help because nothing would work.
Last week the National Depression Campaign launched a new campaign to spread awareness of the true nature of depression. I wish Eleanor Bailey, who clearly has never been depressed in her life, had consulted some people who have been before writing such a flip piece.
VIRGINIA IRONSIDE
London W12
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