Hello!!!

I'm a newbie to this site so firstly greetings to one and all! Hope you're as well as can be expected and coping with this darn depression malarkey.

Needless to say, I am also someone who suffers from depression. It's now clear to me that its something i've had for many years, but its only within the last year I have been properly diagnosed, and now I also finally have meds i'm not allergic to - hurrah! So I definitely have made progress, but there's still quite a way for me to go yet.

Anyhows, now that I am trying to sort out some kind of life for myself, I have returned to university studying graphic design. And as I am sick to the back teeth of depression having such a bad reputation, and it being one of the most misunderstood illnesses there is, i've decided i'm going to produce an awareness campaign for my final major project.

But I really need your input so ensure I do this as accurately as possible. So I would be eternally grateful if you could post your thoughts and experiences on this thread, particularly addressing the following points:

- how much did you know about depression before you were diagnosed?

- how long did it take you to realise you suffer from depression, and how did you find out about it?

- do you feel there is enough information and support for depression?

- how are you dealing with your depression? Do you feel the advice and support you are receiving are adequate?

- are you aware of any advertising or promotional campaigns that can direct you to sources of advice and support? What are your opinions of this?

- how do you think we can create more awareness and try to shake off the stigma of mental illness?

Please note you do not need to directly answer these questions, they are merely suggestions for discussion, but I would be very interested in your views in how we can make people understand a little better.

Please please please contribute - remember i'm depressed too so I need all the help I can get!!! And if anyone lives in the manchester area i'll owe them a pint!

Thanking you for your time,
smiler x