Image by .stocker on Flickr
Journalist Janet Street Porter has stirred up controvesy this week with her article ‘Depression? It’s just the new trendy illness‘ in the Daily Mail. She suggests that depression is the new must-have accessory like the latest trendy handbag and that it seems to be a middle class ailment. So far the piece has attracted 358 comments from Daily Mail readers from around the globe, I can’t claim to have read them all but the first few sum the general feeling, ie that this is an ill-informed and offensive piece of writing. The strength of feeling about this article has also seen a Facebook Group site set up – Outrage over Janet Street Porter’s Article on Depression – with 3,494 members signed up at the time of writing.
Today in the daily Mirror Alastair Campbell, former Labour Party spin doctor and well know for having experienced depression, has hit back at Street Porter’s article with his own piece ‘The Reality of Depression‘. He gives an insight into his experience of depression and highlights that one in four of the population are affected by mental health problems and the stigma associated with mental health. Campbell has donated his fee for the article to Time to Change which is campaining to bring an end to mental health prejudice and he challenges Street Porter to do the same.
Campbell has talked openly about his depression before and he even made a BBC documentary about his own breakdown and depression. You can see a clip of him below talking about this and the prejudice that people with mental health issues face.
