Hi folks,

Since I have been here at PC, I have noticed that some people have moved on, sometimes quite suddenly. This sadly happens despite the very caring and supportive atmosphere here on this forum of good people.

In my own life I have had several situations when I have needed to move away from something quickly. In one case I left a teaching job which was going well, because I felt some changes starting to happen inside myself. I didn't take sick leave, and I didn't safeguard my pension rights, I just left, and I left in quite a hurry, making whatever excuses I could think of.

What concerns me, is that when we are strugging with a moderate to severe mental ilness, there are two agendas, the agenda of the external world, and the agenda of the illness. Depression plays many tricks on us. It is very easy, for instance, for me to think that certain people don't like me, and I get to believe that they definitely dislike me, or don't want me, only to find that it 'was the depression talking'. However, it is always easiest, and most enticing, to end a chapter, move on, take the phone off the hook. I am sure we know about this stuff.

Over the years I have gradually come to realise when I am hearing the depression talking, but using all the intellect I have, and listening to people with the best goodwill, I still give in to the depression voice sometimes. It can't be said too many times, depression is a very nasty illness, and it is no friend to us. It makes us to be alone, it cuts us off, it tells us that we are better off without the people we have come to know, even if we have come to know them over a period of many years. This is what depression does.

When we lose someone from a support forum, or from any other caring and well meaning social group, we lose a small part of the battle against the illnesses we are here to overcome.

I am here on this forum because I genuinely care about each and every person who suffers a diagnosed mental ilness. I believe that we have to remind ourselves constantly that depression (or whatever we wish to call it) is among us and it plays it's part in separating us from each other, because that is what it does.

Peaceful thoughts, Myzen