Depression

In 1995 I went to the doctor. My symptoms were shortness of breath, chest pains, tremors and profuse sweating. These attacks would appear at random, and the first thing I thought of was "Heart!".

Nothing of the sort. They were panic attacks, brought on by a particularly stressful job. I was being forced to drive a vehicle which often broke down, under constant pressure to hit impossible time slots and also having my property vandalised by a so-called "colleague".

The doctor diagnosed a moderate case of depression and put me on Seroxat, which is a close relative of Prozac. At first I thought this would end my driving career, as the Ministry can pull your license for mental illness. In fact, I was told that if I had an accident and was found to have untreated depression, it would be more likely to loose me my license. Prozac and it's relatives don' t stop you from driving. They also gave me assertiveness to take a look at the job, confront the gaffer and put a stop to the nonsense.

It's no shame to be depressed. I know we're all supposed to be big hard guys (the people who know me think so), but it can happen to anyone. The job, family stuff, anything.

Professional Drivers Association

Raising Standards

Mental Health Foundation

The Mental Health Foundation exists to help people survive, recover from and prevent mental health problems......more