After I wrote my last blog post "Could we learn something from the Olympians?" I was worried that someone might misunderstand what I was saying (typical of me!). So, I felt I had to follow this up...

Elite athletes get depression too

This may come as a shock to people but it's not just those returning from the Beijing Olympics without a medal who might suffer, even Olympic gold medal winners can get depression. A quick google and a list of names of top athletes including world record breaker and olympic gold medal winner Ian Crocker and olympic gold medalist Derrick Adkins appear as sufferers off depression.

Exercise can play an important part in your recovery but it certainly isn't a cure and unfortunately doesn't stop you from getting ill in the first place. They are often portrayed as super human but win or lose, the top athletes are just as vunerable to mental health issues as the rest of us.

I was pretty good at sports when I was younger but it was purely luck and I never really took it very seriously. Running and playing football was great fun but as I grew older the fun was taken out of it because of my competitors didn't like it when I won and if I lost they would make it even worse - so win or lose I couldn't win (if you see what I mean).

Anyway, watching the Olympics this year has been great. Watching the winners celebrate their achievements has been fantastic, watching people win who never expected to even get a medal has been great and also Team GB are doing very well.

But what has perhaps been most interesting is the way that many of the competitors have overcome some terrible obstacles to achieve their dreams of Olympic success. For example just watching the weightlifting I heard that it was just over a year ago when Gold medalist Matthias Steiner lost his wife in a car accident and Silver medalist Evgeny Chigishev was seriously injured in a stabbing in 2001. Many of the athletes in these games have failed in previous attempts, sometimes in heartbreaking fashion but somehow they have overcome these situations to carry on and win. And I haven't even mentioned the Paraolympics!!!

It would be interesting to learn how these athletes manage to overcome their dissapointments. Are they just competitive? Is it because they have the right kind of support? Have they learnt to handle defeat through training? Could those of us with mental health problems who struggle with life learn something from the Olympians?

Many people claim that there is a link between depression and creativity and that being depressed can enhance the levels of creativity and help you to achieve things.

A google search for famous people with depression provides some interesting results and the list includes such names as Charles Dickens, T.S Eliot, Vincent Van Gogh and Ernest Hemingway who are all without doubt very creative people. Many of the depression web sites I have visited contain large amounts of poetry written by people who are depressed. So, maybe there is something in this claim?

Other famous names include Winston Churchill, Sir Isaac Newton, John D Rockefeller and Abraham Lincoln who are perhaps known for other things other than their creativity but who it could be argued achieved some great things. Did depression help these people with their achievements?

During therapy sessions I have occassionly voiced concern about how I was worried that getting better might change me so that I was less effective at work. I felt that my depression and perfectionism made me different from others and helped me to be good at what I do and although I wanted to get better I would really not want to change in anyway that might effect my performance at work. The therapist would argue that surely without my mental health problems I would perform even better but I have had problems understanding this and have had trouble accepting it.

Has depression made me a more caring and sensitive person? A lot of the people I come across seem to work in professions that directly or indirectly involve helping people would they be doing these jobs if they didn't have depression? People often comment about how I am able to empathise with others so easily and that I have an uncanny ability to put myself into other peoples shoes which helps me to help them. Would I be like that without depression?

So, is depression all negative or is there something positive from this illness? What do you think? I would be interested to hear your opinions.

I mentioned in my last post about Mindfullness stress reduction. If you are interested here is a video from Jon Kabat-Zinn where he discusses the techniques used.

Time and time again I hear people claim that if you were suffering from depression you would know and I wonder how often this misconception is preventing people from seeking help when they need it. Reading the question "Therapy now or later?" made me think about that this again.

I do not know if the people are basing the claim "You know if you are depressed" on personal experience or not and whilst it may well be true that some (who knows, maybe it's even most people?) know that they have depression and didn't need a diagnosis from a medical professional. I can tell you that I did not think I had depression (other people get depression!), did not suffer from anxiety anymore than anyone else (I am completely in control and can't possibly have anxiety!) and I was absolutely 100% certain that I wasn't a perfectionist (I wasn't good enough to be a perfectionist!).

The only reason I discovered I was depressed was because things got so bad that my wife left me and I thought going to the doctors might help get her back. If it has been suggested that you are suffering from depression and you aren't so sure then I would recommend the following:-

1. Listen to the person suggesting you are depressed.
   You don't have to agree with them but you will certainly learn things by listening to them. It could be that they need help themselves, they might have some valuable experience of depression but they are almost certainly are trying to help you.
2. Ask the person why they think you are depressed.
   It's unlikely a complete stranger is going to say you are depressed. So, I assume you have a relationship of some kind with the person and as part of a healthy relationship you will value and sometime ask for their opinion. Keep in mind that things can seem pretty different from another point of view and it may be that even if you aren't depressed then there must at least be some sort of communication problem. Asking and listening to what they think might help improve communication and strengthen your relationship.
3. Be honest with yourself.
   This is a hard one! It's hard enough when your well but if you are depressed you might have trouble with this. Your thought and behaviours will be muddled by depression so if you have any doubt at all or if the other person really does seem concerned then please always use my fourth recommendation.
4. Seek a professional opinion.
   The person best qualified to determine if you have depression is someone who has received training, has experience of mental health disorders and has the right diagnostic tools. Your first stop should be your GP and if you feel awkward seeing your normal doctor then why not see someone else?

As someone with a history of mental health problems I can look back and see that at certain times in my life I would have been the worst person to objectively assess the state of my own mental health. If you have concerns or others have concerns about how you are feeling then seeking help would be a positive way of proving that you are well or perhaps more importantly a positive step in getting better.