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Ireland

9/6/2013

7 Comments

 
In Ireland for the last 24 hours plugging book –“Sane New World” (another plug).

I thought the Irish would be the last to speak about mental illness-I thought they were a ‘keeping it to themselves’ people.  Last night I did a live interview in a theatre for a large audience and during question and answer there were no questions only a large number of brave souls standing up to tell their stories because maybe they’re too ashamed to tell their friends or families. But here in the darkness one woman stood up and confessed she had both cancer and then depression and the depression was far worse.  With visible signs like loss of hair you get sympathy, with depression no one wants to know and if they find out they tell you to ‘snap out of it’.  To me this is like slapping someone with Alzheimer’s to buck up and remember what happened yesterday. Another woman stood up to confess she’s terrified that she passed her disease to her daughter. Another says their kid is suffering from the stress of exams and he’s scared she’s going to do something drastic. (In Ireland there are twice as many suicides for young people). Everyone wants to talk in the dark and spill his or her stories because we have no other place to talk. Again I harp on that we should have walk-in centres similar to AA where the 1 in 4 can talk drugs, symptoms and bitch together to unload the shame. (It’s healing to unleash rather than hunker in a hole in fear of being caught with something mental).

They thank me at the end but I should thank them for being brave enough to come out of the darkness so the rest of us don’t feel so alone.
7 Comments
Catherine Holmes
9/6/2013 06:44:14 am

Hello Ruby. Good luck with the book. Its great how you inspire people to open up. Talking about mental illness can feel extremely difficult and I found one of the biggest helps was talking to other people who had experienced some of the things I did. Its a great idea about the drop in places. I also feel that each A&E on a general ward should have a dedicated space for mental illness too, with psychiatrist GP social workers on call - as you would with any other ward for a psychical aliment Anyway good luck. :D

Reply
Catherine Holmes
9/6/2013 06:45:16 am

Physical I mean

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Elizabeth Clark
9/6/2013 09:08:07 am

Ruby ~ Thank you for all you are doing in bringing the darkness of depression and mental illness out into the big, wide open light. My longing is that one day the battle for understanding will be won! That compassion, kindness, patience and care will be the experience of all those struggling with depression. May ignorance, impatience, unkindness and desertion be consigned to the dustbin of history. We fight on together! Bless you.

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Patricia Walsh
9/6/2013 08:40:31 pm

Time again to be proud to be Irish. And proud to. be passionate about mental health at all ages . It's important we don't forget our young. Or our most elderly.

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Heather link
9/6/2013 11:58:14 pm

I'm glad the Irish Sane New World Tour went as well as that. My work hours were reduced from 36 to 12 per week when I had to have time off for an episode and the doctor's certificate showed 'bipolar depression'. That's a 2/3 cut in my salary. We moved area and I now work from home. But mental illness can still hit us in the pocket and lower self-esteem further in this way, as you mention in SNW. The law definitely needs changing. We can never have too many people being open and honest about their experiences.

I'm now told by my Nook I'm at '94 of 150' and thus Part 4. Although I took two Mindfulness courses, the brain part was only explained in that we can change our thinking and thus feeling and behaviours. At very long last, someone has explained for me in layman's/Joe Public human terms what we actually know, at this time from all the research we have (and clearly more needs doing), about our brains and minds. It's been a revelation to me. I've had to read some parts twice and look up a few words but you've made this topic so accessible for those who want to do something about their mental health problems but don't understand why Mindfulness (and mindfulness-based CBT) is worth learning and practising and sticking at. One course and then forgetting about it probably wouldn't help. A course or book and then practising daily, from my own experience, begins to pay dividends.

We are human and fallible. Perfection we can never have but, using your book and the Mindfulness-based options (books/courses/cds and more) out there, we can improve our quality of life. And I think that's the best gift those of use with mental health issues can give ourselves. Thanks for making it all a lot clearer for me. :-)

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Heather link
10/6/2013 12:08:58 am

P.S. (thanks for bearing with me, there)... A quick Google showed me that Depression Alliance do run some groups, as I believe the MDF/Bipolar UK also still do. In the U.S. there are a *few*, and I mean very few considering the size of the place, Depression Anonymous and Emotions Anonymous groups, or stuff of that ilk. As far as I know, with 12 Step and Anonymous groups, people have to pray to a higher power. More of a Buddhist (a belief system) if anything at all, I'm not one for praying to get better but maybe they'd help other people (in the U.S.) and that's a very good idea for the UK. Maybe people could call Mindfulness itself their higher power! Just sayin'. It's been great that you've opened up this subject so much more and good on you for bothering to do the M.A., find out what's going on there in the brain and to share it with the rest of us.

Reply
M
21/10/2015 09:44:25 pm

Hi Ruby,
Would you be thinking of coming to Ireland again in January 2016?, would love to see your show.

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