Today is, apparently, World Mental Health Day. It's crazy that I didn't know that.
Okay, we've got that out of the way.
I just nearly typed "people fortunate enough to have good mental health need to cop the fuck on", but it's not about that. It's about realising things like depression affect more than 350 million people of all ages, and in some countries fewer than 10% of those who need it receive treatment. We're not talking about moodiness here, or that dude at work who's as crabby as hell in the mornings before he's had three coffees, I'm talkng about The Black Dog - real, clinical depression. The sort of thing that, if left unaddressed, has the power to turn bright, charming, intelligent people into uncommunicative agoraphobes.
Now, if you're sat there muttering under your breath "They should pull themselves together. In my day etc etc" then I was wrong earlier - you do need to cop the fuck on. Depression isn't a lifestyle choice and it's not something that people can always overcome without medical help. Even with help, it may be something that's "managed" rather than "cured". Unfortunately, even reaching out for that help still carries a certain amount of stigma.
Do yourselves a favour, people. Look after yourselves. Yes, mens sana in corpore sano by all means but be aware and be understanding. Don't be too hard on yourself. Sometimes the most grown-up thing you can do is ask for help when you need it.
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