"Treatment for depression/PTSD"

I recently completed a course of therapy  the NHS Elliott Chappell Health Centre in Hessle Road,  Hull. I had been referred by my GP, whom I had consulted for help and advice about mental health problems. After years of suffering from increasingly long bouts of depression, I was no longer able to cope with the disruption that the depression attacks were causing to my life.

The therapist who cared for me, Stuart, was immediately helpful in putting me at ease and assuring me that mental health problems like depression were nothing to be ashamed of - they could be just as serious as physical health issues. In his opinion as that I was suffering from a 'moderately severe' case of post traumatic stress disorder, and he recommended a course of therapy using a therapy called Eye Movement Desensitization and Reinforcement (EMDR), designed to enable the sufferer to deal properly with the negative memories and emotions and to permanently file them away, as it were, in the right locked boxes.

I accepted his advice undertook the nine-week course, which involved an (emotionally rather draining!) exploration of my past history, going back to childhood, to identify the causes of my condition. During this course, Stuart carefully guided me through what was happening and taught me various simple self-help techniques to enable me to deal with  recurrences. PTSD is an affliction that never really 'cured', and episodes are likely  recur, but I completed the course feeling much more able to cope with recurrences and,  to date, I have felt  much more in command and control. I am now confident that I can get on with my life, and deal adequately with future spells of 'feeling down'.

I would urge anyone suffering from mental health issues, slight or serious, not to be ashamed of admitting to suffering  what seems to too many people think of  as being 'not a proper illness'. I have benefited greatly from seeking professional advice - my only regret is that I did not do so years ago!