Winston Churchill used the metaphor of the black dog to describe his bouts of depression and (in the only sentence I will ever be mentioned alongside Churchill) I too am the non-too proud owner of a black dog.

I have referred to my previous struggles with depression in earlier posts and the resulting feedback from others that are struggling has prompted me to want to tackle the subject head-on.  I have always sought to be open about my struggles; I like to try and find the positives in the challenges that I face in my life and being an open person by nature I feel something of a responsibility to try and help others by challenging the stigma and misunderstanding that exists around the illness.

And make no mistake, depression is an illness.

At its worst it is an all-consuming, torturous, desperate, lonely, terrifying illness that has the power to strip…