Earlier on this evening, I bumped into John Woodcock who I’ve known since my days at The Scotsman. He’s swapped journalism for politics and is now Labour MP for Barrow and Furness. We met in an ITV studio, and I asked what he was going on to talk about. “Popping pills,” he replied. He has decided to go public about the fact that he is being treated for depression – which is no small decision for an MP. It has, historically, been the sort of thing people keep quiet about. And that’s what John is trying to change.
At any one time, about two million of us are being treated for depression. But people don’t tend not to talk about it – which, of course, can create the impression that it’s something to be embarrassed about. Or that it’s somehow rare and unusual.
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