If you want to reply to something I’ve said, the easiest thing to do is leave a comment. At the moment I’m allowing all comments (except the ones caught by the spam filter) to appear, although that may change depending on the kind of comments I get. Comments disagreeing with me are certainly welcome: ones that get abusive, less so.
If you’re not comfortable posting in public you can email me: aethelread@hotmail.co.uk
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Just found your blog and have read a couple of your posts. I thought they were very good, and I will make time to read your blog from the start.
I also suffer from depression; it has been almost 10 years now of severe depression, that barely starts to improve before it forces me to the bottom of the hole again. When my depression became so bad that I could no longer work, my GP and psychiatrist managed to persuade the Civil Service to give me early retirement on the grounds of ill health.
I started writing my blog about seven weeks ago, and it has been so helpful to write about whatever comes into my mind (sometimes it deals with depression, and sometimes about anything and everything) that I am actually starting to feel a little better, perhaps it’s the best that I have been for years.
Your latest post held particular significance for me, because I have actually moved into my childhood home because after having to give up work I found that I could no longer live in the house that I had shared with my husband (he died suddenly 10 years ago) and this coincided with the death of my father, my mother having died a few years previously. Although moving back to London has meant that all links with the life that I led with my husband have gone forever, I have been able to cope with my empty life by being in surroundings that take me back to times when my life was less complicated.
I heard the programme the other night and immediately jotted down your blog’s name and that of mental chimp (yahoo revelaed it to actually be Experimental Chimp). it took a while to find yours as the person who plugged it didn’t spell it out for the listener – your spelling is rather complex for those of us who know the original name as an historical figure rather than a name we actually know how to spell correctly. Still I did find you and the Chimp and am very pleased. I was looking with my college Librarian’s hat on – we have stuents on a course specifically designed to help people living with mental illness back into work. As their Librarian, I am pulling together useful websites onto a bookmarking site – Delicious. So I’ve just added you and The Chimp – I hope the students find you and he as interesting and funny as I have just done. Thanks, Helen Bowyer
Hi Helen,
Thanks for the comment, and sorry tracking down my blog was tricky – i know the spelling i use is a little unorthodox – Aethelred seems most common – but it’s always been the spelling i’ve preferred. I hope my blog is useful for your students – i imagine Experimental Chimp’s will be especially useful as he’s just made the move back into work.
Thanks again.
Hello, I found your blog totally out of the blue, and I’ve read a couple of your posts and I think you’re a great writer, I’ve put ypu on my blogroll if that’s alright?
Midge
Hi midge18 – that’s just fine! And thanks for the vote of confidence. :o) What’s your blog address, btw?
mines is http://anotherteenagemisfit.wordpress.com/ it’s only been going since May so theres not much there at the minute
Interesting blog. A lot of good writing. Glad to see someone talking about mental health issues. As a sufferer of a rather nasty condition I appreciate someone being honest and open but also able to talk about other things besides their condition. A focused blog often gets more traffic but it never shows the complete picture. Inspired by your writing, even if it is long in this twitter age it’s well written and that’s what’s important. I certainly need to do more writing and be honest about my condition as well as my sexuality. Keep up the good work although you could get an apple fan to help you with a more stylish design for the blog ;-) Don’t ask me though all my macs have been converted to the good church ubuntu. Although if you need some photography check my flickr, its all creative commons licensed :-)
Hi, I found your blog by accident on the neuroskeptic’s blog. I am at work and supposed to be working. However, we are under notice of redundancy and that is de-motivating, to be sure.
As a sufferer from anxiety/depression on a fairly regular basis, I find your writing on experience in hospital interesting; many is the time I would have loved to be taken away and looked after. or maybe not; I deal with boredom een less well than I deal with stress, so normally I drag myself back to work, pretend I do not feel suicidal, and try to carry on.
Take heart; human stupidity is universal. I don’t know why this should be, but I like your compassionate and questioning attitude, so will read your blog. When/if I am unemployed, it will make a change from Judge Judy and Jeremy Kyle.
But love is also universal; if this sounds hippyish I do not apologise. I am sort of from that generation.
That’s great !