As part of the ABC's Mental As programming, Jessica Bineth interviewed both mum and dad, to help give a parents perspective on my depression. It also sheds light on how a mental illness can affect more than just the sufferer.
Anne:
"He called me into his room very upset one morning and said, 'mummy my heart is black, my body is full of anger and I wish I was dead'."
"He woke up and would not go to school"
"At times I felt incredibly judged, and I think that's part of people just not understanding. People would say 'just get him to school', 'why can't you get him to school?'. It's not so easy."
"My gut feeling was, if Adam had the tools as a 10 year old, he would have taken his life."
"It was something emotional, triggering these physical things."
"I felt at a loss, as a parent."
Tony:
"It's like playing a game of tennis, you don't know where the balls going to bounce, and you're coming home and don't know what's facing you. There were so many ups and downs."
"The important thing is to be prepared for anything, to get all the help you can, and to persevere."
"You have to love them unconditionally. There's no simple answer."
"There was a lot of failure along the way, it wasn't something that happened overnight."
"When your child is suffering everybody suffers."
"Because they [mental illnesses] are invisible, people treat you very differently"
Click below for the full interview.
Original source can be found here.
