Caller Explains How The Hidden Struggle With Depression Affects Families

1 June 2017, 10:49 | Updated: 1 June 2017, 10:52

Holly has depression and has attempted suicide. She explains how families suffer in the wake of a suicide.

Speaking to Darren Adam, Holly talked about how families of those who commit suicide are left with unanswered questions and a sense of guilt.

“I go to mental health groups and relatives of people [who have committed suicide] are left so isolated and bereft because they think, ‘why didn’t they come to me? How did I miss the signs?’”

Darren pointed out that this links into a common misunderstanding around depression, when people ask ‘what have you got to be depressed about?’

“You can have the world at your feet and still feel like you’ve got nothing.” Holly said, “The thing about clinical depression is it’s lots and lots of factors. Sometimes you don’t know what’s going on in your friend’s head.”

She compared someone suffering with a mental illness to someone suffering a physical illness to show the difficulty of dealing with their death.

“When I go to these groups and I see the relatives and I see the pain.

“God forbid anyone should die young of cancer, but you understand that. You would go and tell your mum and dad, in most cases, 'I’ve got cancer, I’m going to have some treatment.'"

With depression it’s different: “People don’t even realise that their son, daughter, aunt niece, whatever, is that bad.”