THE last meeting of the Stroud Depression Support Group was held on April 1, which was something of an irony bearing in mind the seriousness of the subject at hand.
A common misconception about support groups such as us is that everyone attending will be sat there grim faced and depressed.
Even some doctors will advise their patients not to attend such groups because of this and this may in fact deter those most in need from attending such groups.
The reality is in fact the very opposite with a lot of smiling and there is laughter at various points.
The group and others like us can in fact be quite jolly occasions where people meet as friends even they may only be meeting for the first time.
At the April meeting there was discussion about how the public view of depression has changed over time.
At one time, it was very much a subject which must and could not be talked about in the open much to the detriment of those suffering from it – there was a stigma attached to it.
Today, opinion has changed for the better – though there is still some way to go – with people much more able to feel they can talk about it. It may well be the case that everyone is touched by depression even though they may not have it themselves but that they know someone who does have it or may have had it.
The next meeting of the Stroud Depression Support Group will be on Tuesday, May 6 at 7.30pm.
To obtain details of meetings, people can either ring Rose or Huw on 07428102477 or email: stroudalliance@yahoo.co.uk
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