I learned the hard way that that’s not the right way. There were times when I tried to quit life itself; I felt so helpless. I’m not saying that the medications never helped, they certainly did, but the fact that there were no counselling or recovery groups around back then is just unbelievable. My depression was treated like a sore back. No questions asked about personal life, nutrition, exercise or the state of my mind in general. I suppose it was not their thing to ask – but for that reason, I reckon every GP should have a Grow poster and a leaflet in their waiting area. Nobody should have to do this alone. Meds are only a small part of your treatment and you can get out of mental health issues with community programs like Grow Mental Health and Suicide Survive. I think their programs should be next to the GP on the initial treatment list for people suffering with mental health issues.”
Lorraine joined her Grow group in September 2020 and she loves her group. In particular the way, the group members encourage her to “resume quickly and move on”, if she has had a setback or a bad week. They make sure she doesn’t dwell! She then does this for others in the group on the weeks she is doing well and they may not be.
Listen to Lorraine’s story