Ten years of living with the Black Dog

Embed from Getty Images My first encounter with what I call the black dog was in the early months of 2010, not long after I went off work the previous autumn. I initially rebuffed my GP’s offer of antidepressants. That was partly because of a misplaced idea that it would be an admission of weakness […]

Mental Health Awareness Week 2018

This week is Mental Health Awareness Week. The theme is this year is stress. Stress can pervade our lives, but one aspect is stress at work. Keeping a mentally-healthy workforce is best for everyone: the employees, the business and the customers. Being self-employed as a musician, workplace stress has a slightly different connotation. I’m preparing […]

The January Blues: Desolation

Warning: discussion of suicide Last week in my county division, someone stood at the edge of a motorway bridge with the intention of jumping off. Fortunately, the emergency services got there in time and their life was saved. I know personally the devastation that suicide can bring on family and friends. My close relative died […]

The January Blues: Desolation

Warning: discussion of suicide Last week in my county division, someone stood at the edge of a motorway bridge with the intention of jumping off. Fortunately, the emergency services got there in time and their life was saved. I know personally the devastation that suicide can bring on family and friends. My close relative died […]

The January Blues: Depression

The still, dark days of January are often associated with heightened levels of depression. Actually, depression is omnipresent. The charity Mind details depression as ranging from mild to moderate to severe. They list some types of depression: Seasonal affective disorder (SAD)– depression that usually (but not always) occurs in the winter. Dysthymia– continuous mild depression […]