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Depression - Ruby Wax - Channel 4

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  • 28-07-2012 2:02pm
    #1
    HeartOfGold
    Registered Users Posts: 1 ✭


    Did anyone see the programme by Ruby Wax "Mad Confessions" on C4 last week? (Repeated Sunday 29/7/12 2.55am on 4seven - C4s new channel)

    "Ruby Wax campaigns to bring down the stigma that still surrounds mental illness, supporting and meeting people brave people who are honest and open about their mental health conditions."

    Ruby Wax has depression. Initially she kept it quite but recently made it public. She has a show about mental health which toured around the UK.

    The idea of the programme was to get 3 people to tell their work colleagues about their mental illness.

    The first person has OCD. The second person had a breakdown and had sucidal thoughts. The last person has depression.

    Overall I thought the idea of the programme was good. It would be interesting if there was a follow-up to see how everyone was getting on. It showed also the huge stigma with mental illness in general.

    There were 2 other bits of information I picked up:

    * Ruby has depression since she was a teenager. She showed a photograph of her with a 'glazed over look'. I have one those photos in my kitchen when I was a teenager. I showed it to a family member and they dismissed it.

    * Ruby went to the Priory Clinic for treatment. While talking to her psychiatrist during the programme, he said something along the lines of: "10 minutes of mental health pain is 10,000 times more powerful than 10 minutes of physical pain."

    Personally the programme reminded me of the time I got diagnosed and when I came back to work. I was so mortified at what I went through and I didn't have the courage to tell people. All my friends at work stayed away and I ended up eating lunch on my own. After 2 more years I toke voluntary redundancy and never worked again.

    Interestingly I was waiting in my local clinic for my GP during the week and I came across a magazine called 'The Waiting Room'.(http://waitingroom.ie/)

    The article referenced a survey which found that a large percentage of people, if they knew, would not talk about depression with a friend, colleague, etc who is suffering from the illness.

    So that might explain why my colleagues stayed away.

    Here are some links for anyone interested:
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-18921331
    http://www.blackdogtribe.com/ (new forum started by Ruby Wax)
    http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/dec/12/ruby-wax-depression-online-website
    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/you/article-1351016/Ruby-Wax-battle-depression-I-disease.html


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