Manic depression nearly cost me my life . . . now I want to help others beat this deadly illness

WHEN Suzy Johnston was struck down with mental illness, it left her baffled and frightened. The years that followed were a nightmare as manic depression took hold of the teenager and almost robbed her of her life. But thanks to her courage and amazing support from mum Jean, Suzy, now 32, from Helensburgh, Scotland, fought back and is looking forward to a bright future.

Her story of survival and recovery has proved an inspiration to thousands affected by manic depression and now Suzy has been asked to speak at a national conference in London. Addressing the event with her mum Jean, 58, she will help raise awareness of mental illness and tell others how the family coped.

Suzy was only 17, and a pupil at Lomond School in Helensburgh, when she suffered her first symptoms of depression. She was on a school trip when she began hallucinating. As a first-year psychology and philosophy student at St Andrew's University she had suicidal thoughts and by second year had fallen seriously ill.

Suzy knew something was seriously wrong in her first year when she experienced severe depression.

She said: "To begin with, it was just a really strange feeling which left me really down and unhappy, and then I became nervous to be around people. It was made worse by the fact I didn't know what was going on.

"It was a very gradual process which left me really frightened."

Some of her friends stuck by her but others were insensitive.

Suzy said: "My closest friends were helpful, suggesting I see a doctor. Others told me to pull myself together so I found out in a short space of time who my real friends were, which was difficult."

Over the next few years she was in hospital six times with depression-related illnesses and was not expected to survive.

- LAURA COVENTRY and DAVID CROW

From the Evening Times

Last Updated on 08/21/05 webmaster@namiscc.org

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