I Cannot Tell You

I don't write poems anymore but a couple of days ago I was hit by inspiration and had to write it all down.  It's only a short poem on the prejudice towards depression but the husband likes it so much that he wants to turn it into a song.  Watch this space and enjoy!


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I CANNOT TELL YOU


It's coming back again,
The darkness is creeping in,
Months of hell will come,
Yet I cannot tell you.

Whilst you complain of back aches,
Stubborn colds,
And that infection you got checked.
I am suffering in silence
Because I cannot tell you.

It is a burden living with a real disease
That people see as an excuse.
How can I explain how I'm feeling
When we live in a world of prejudice?
I cannot tell you

People refuse to understand,
'Pull yourself together' they say,
'Snap out of it' they say,
'You have no reason to feel like this' they say.
That's why I cannot tell you.

I wish you understood that this is not my fault,
Even though I blame myself everyday.
I don't ask you to be an expert on my thoughts,
All I ask is for you to care.
So I can tell you.
So I'm not alone.

Educating Eamonn Holmes

When I heard that This Morning was covering the subject of post-Christmas and New Year depression and mental health I was intrigued to watch, to only be made a fool out of…

I am very happy when media debates the subject of mental health, it increases the knowledge and awareness of the subject whilst challenging the stigma and discrimination.  I believe programs like My Mad Fat Diary and the BBC series It’s a Mad World have done a fantastic job in doing so.  But when I tuned into This Morning on the 3^rd January 2014 to hear Eamonn Holmes laughing, saying that those with Generalised Anxiety Disorder ‘are not happy unless they are worrying’ and that all you need is to have a laugh I was left feeling embarrassed, a fool and a laughing stock to the nation.  Like millions of others I am debilitated by my anxiety and depressive episodes, to have somebody belittle the subject and make it humorous is an insult.

I hope Mr Holmes will read this, as I have a few pointers to enlighten him on:

• Mental illness is a REAL disease.  You would not laugh at someone who has diabetes or chronic back pain, so why those with a mental illness?
• Depression is not cured by simply laughing it away, if that were the case millions of us would not be left debilitated by it.
• People with Generalised Anxiety Disorder are certainly NOT happy if they are worrying, it’s the complete opposite, WE WANT TO STOP WORRYING.
• Telling people that they will not recover from bereavement is giving them negative false hope.

I hope This Morning will revisit the subject of mental health in the future as it is very important.  All I ask is that the discussion is approached with more sensitivity and accuracy.  Whilst I understand that good humour is helpful, there is a time, a place, and a better way of doing it.