Even with a bit of a break over the summer, I am amazed to notice that more that 9,000 views are registered against my posts since the Blog’s inception last November. The competitor in me hopes that I will make the 10,000 mark by the end of October as it seems a nice round number but honestly, something I never in my wildest dreams expected was such a loyal readership when I started on my journey.

I know that some people get millions of hits (Strictly Come Dancing and X Factor stats) for their blog posts but I am so grateful and proud of everyone who has taken time to read my efforts. It is very humbling and I only hope that in some small way I can help others open up and talk about their depression without fear of stigma and discrimination. The latest stats about mental illness is that 1 in 4 of us will suffer during our lifetime.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) predicts that in the next 20 years depression will become the most common cause of ill-health worldwide, overtaking heart disease. We need to be able to recognise symptoms early to improve the speed and chance of recovery and we can only do this if we raise awareness by talking about it.

I’m doing my bit 🙂