Lennon suffered with depression during the title run in #mentalhealthawarenessweek

[Slavoj Zizek]

Surprised no one posted this:

http://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/sport/football/hibs/neil-lennon-i-battled-depression-during-hibs-title-charge-1-4440023

Any thoughts?

[ancient hibee]

Yes it shows he's a good lad giving a good cause a bit of publicity when he doesn't have to.

[Slavoj Zizek]

Yes it shows he's a good lad giving a good cause a bit of publicity when he doesn't have to.

You would have rather he sucked it up and got on with it in silence?

[SaulGoodman]

You would have rather he sucked it up and got on with it in silence?

You've missed the point completely.

[ancient hibee]

You are a complete cretin if that is what you think I meant.

[Hibernia&Alba]

You would have rather he sucked it up and got on with it in silence?

That isn't what he meant at all.

[Slavoj Zizek]

That isn't what he meant at all.

I misread the situation. My apologies. No offence intended.

[H18 SFR]

I misread the situation. My apologies. No offence intended.

Good man apologising, you had me worried there for a minute.

[ancient hibee]

I misread the situation. My apologies. No offence intended.

Accepted.

[Hibernia&Alba]

I misread the situation. My apologies. No offence intended.


Fair enough.

[Slavoj Zizek]

Good man apologising, you had me worried there for a minute.

Dropped a hairy bollock there. I'll be logging out for the day[!!] :na na: #johnniewalker

[Big_Franck]

I have not always been Lennon's biggest fan but this kind of stuff has me really warming to him. It's not easy to come out and publicly reveal things like this, especially when you are still in the game. Glad to hear he's doing better now and that he's raising money for much needed mental health training in the game. Top man.

[Pete]

A warrior who has to overcome hurdles a lot of us, especially his critics, simply don't understand.

So glad he's here and I hope it's for a long time.

[emerald green]

It's good that the stigma long attached to this illness is at last being removed.

[hibby6270]

2 of the hardest things to do when you have depression are firstly admitting to yourself that something is wrong and doing something about it. Secondly, making your illness public is probably the last thing you want to do.

So, have nothing but praise for Neil to come out with what he has said. Shows great character and strength.

Well done Neil. :top marks

[superfurryhibby]

With Lennon we get a very high profile manager with all the past history that has preceded his time with Hibs i. In truth it's a story that you couldnae really make up.

It's obvious from other reports and previous interviews that our manager has had issues with depression. What's even better is that he feels supported enough and motivated enough to try and use his influence and experience to support others.

That he has does this speaks volumes about the man. He's a committed gadj, full respect to him

[Hibernia&Alba]

2 of the hardest things to do when you have depression are firstly admitting to yourself that something is wrong and doing something about it. Secondly, making your illness public is probably the last thing you want to do.

So, have nothing but praise for Neil to come out with what he has said. Shows great character and strength.

Well done Neil. :top marks


With Lennon we get a very high profile manager with all the past history that has preceded his time with Hibs i. In truth it's a story that you couldnae really make up.

It's obvious from other reports and previous interviews that our manager has had issues with depression. What's even better is that he feels supported enough and motivated enough to try and use his influence and experience to support others.

That he has does this speaks volumes about the man. He's a committed gadj, full respect to him

Good posts :agree:

[Lago]

You are a complete cretin if that is what you think I meant.
Some people need it in words of one syllable.

[Scouse Hibee]

2 of the hardest things to do when you have depression are firstly admitting to yourself that something is wrong and doing something about it. Secondly, making your illness public is probably the last thing you want to do.

So, have nothing but praise for Neil to come out with what he has said. Shows great character and strength.

Well done Neil. :top marks

Serious question, what if you just feel down due to a particular difficult time in your life. How do know if it is depression or not?

[ErinGoBraghHFC]

2 of the hardest things to do when you have depression are firstly admitting to yourself that something is wrong and doing something about it. Secondly, making your illness public is probably the last thing you want to do.


can second this as a previous sufferer of depression, seriously hard to admit to yourself that you have a problem and even harder to bring yourself to seek help due to the fear of what people are going to think. He's a warrior to say the very least and he has my upmost respect, we are all neil lennon

[CraigK]

Serious question, what if you just feel down due to a particular difficult time in your life. How do know if it is depression or not?

It could still be depression, but it might be what professionals would class as a 'low mood'. Depression's not something that you're born with, and can be triggered by life events. Having suffered from it in the past, I know how horrible it can be and I would recommend anyone feeling down to talk to someone, it does help, even if it's not a professional. If it lasts longer than a few weeks, and manifests itself in other ways (eg. you find it hard to even get out of bed in the morning, go work, just function 'normally'), I would recommend seeking help.

On the topic of NL, I find it quite inspirational that he is so open about it and hopefully him doing so encourages others to seek help, if needed, rather than suffer in silence.

[Hibernia&Alba]

Serious question, what if you just feel down due to a particular difficult time in your life. How do know if it is depression or not?

You would need a professional diagnosis. Depression is very different from feeling down for a while. It's a long term condition of being unable to function as normal.

[Scouse Hibee]

Cheers guys.

[CropleyWasGod]

Serious question, what if you just feel down due to a particular difficult time in your life. How do know if it is depression or not?

I'm always wary of putting labels on such things. The minute you diagnose someone with depression, the possibility is that you're going to drive them deeper.

My own view is that the label doesn't matter. If you feel like *****, you feel like *****. In 20 years of my own issues, I have come to the conclusion that you are your own expert in gauging your mood.

[houstonhibbee]

Serious question, what if you just feel down due to a particular difficult time in your life. How do know if it is depression or not?
from what I can gather if someone is suffering from symptoms and suspects they may be depressed they should seek medical advice.

[pacoluna]

Serious question, what if you just feel down due to a particular difficult time in your life. How do know if it is depression or not?

Depression isn't just about felling down, there's a whole lot of complex symptoms that come with it that debilitates you.

[BegbieHSC]

Massive respect Lenny!

Public figures being open about their battles with adverse mental health will help to bring stigma to an end, and allow everyone who needs it, feel comfortable seeking support.

So proud of our manager!

[One Day Soon]

Neil Lennon - absolutely love this guy.

[dp00]

Well done for Neil Lennon for speaking out about this,

There were times during season when Gary Parker was doing all the media stuff which at time I found weird, obviously now it all makes sense . So glad the club supported him


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Scouse Hibee]

Depression isn't just about felling down, there's a whole lot of complex symptoms that come with it that debilitates you.

Yes, I realise that now after reading several responses. Very informative and reassuring.

[Arch Stanton]

You would need a professional diagnosis. Depression is very different from feeling down for a while. It's a long term condition of being unable to function as normal.

Indeed. Depression is probably more about how you're coping than how you're feeling.

Lots of people, if not everyone, can relate to feeling bad but that is of no relevance to those who are bowed down by ongoing feelings of utter despair.

[hibby6270]

Serious question, what if you just feel down due to a particular difficult time in your life. How do know if it is depression or not?

I've been through it myself. The "just feeling down" element is what you tell yourself in your mind is all it is. It's only when you start to pick apart what is making you feel that way and you realise there's a whole raft of issues both current and in the past that you have to face up to. You maybe can't understand or sort all of them but acknowledging they exist goes a long way in coming to terms with why you are feeling this way.

Think it's fair to say that depression affects and impacts each individual so much differently. There's no "one size fits all" solution.

As I said in my original post, just realising and sharing your feelings with someone is the biggest (and hardest) step anyone can take on the journey to come out the other side.

[Sir David Gray]

I haven't always been a huge fan of Neil Lennon, in fact that's probably an understatement as I actively loathed him when he was at Celtic however hearing stuff like this is inspirational and having someone like him being so open and honest about his own demons will really help others to open up and talk about things.

I think he's doing a wonderful job of promoting awareness of mental health problems.

[Mick O'Rourke]

Neil gave a talk today at Saughton prison on the issue of depression.

Half the audience cheered him... the other half ...well ;-)

Say no more !

Speaks for itself, as to the man

[truehibernian]

I listened to Five Live tonight and Flintoff and Savage discussing mental health problems they had experienced and encountered - really interesting listen and made me think of a situation I was in with an ex years ago - that being it's equally as important for loved ones or friends to 'spot' or notice when someone is going though a hard time / experiencing depression as it is for the person having the issue to try and get help and support.

Years on, had I known as much then as I do now about mental health, I guarantee I would have been more sympathetic and had empathy - because of my ignorance and attitude at the time it probably exacerbated the problem (unwittingly). Not saying it would have salvaged things, but I would have been far more of a support to her instead of being dismissive.

Anyone can experience it at any time - what's important is to support, help and be there. That's what I learned over the years.

[Mikey09]

I'm always wary of putting labels on such things. The minute you diagnose someone with depression, the possibility is that you're going to drive them deeper.

My own view is that the label doesn't matter. If you feel like *****, you feel like *****. In 20 years of my own issues, I have come to the conclusion that you are your own expert in gauging your mood.


Absolutely 100% agree with this. In my battle with bipolar I am the one who takes responsibility for how I cope with my highs and lows. The highs can be a bit tricky to gauge personally and my wife can reel me in when needed. The lows I have learned to deal with in my own way. Sounds a bit crazy but different episodes can be dealt in various ways as some are way worse than others. Here's one example for you... I had to give my Scottish cup final ticket away as I had a brutal episode a few days before it. But it's something I accepted happens a long time ago so that's the way it is. Life goes on.

[houstonhibbee]

[/B]


Absolutely 100% agree with this. In my battle with bipolar I am the one who takes responsibility for how I cope with my highs and lows. The highs can be a bit tricky to gauge personally and my wife can reel me in when needed. The lows I have learned to deal with in my own way. Sounds a bit crazy but different episodes can be dealt in various ways as some are way worse than others. Here's one example for you... I had to give my Scottish cup final ticket away as I had a brutal episode a few days before it. But it's something I accepted happens a long time ago so that's the way it is. Life goes on.
really sorry to hear that, but good on you for sharing:agree:

[Mikey09]

really sorry to hear that, but good on you for sharing:agree:


Its all good mate. It affects loads of things as there's Nae rhyme or reason to when I personally get hit with an episode. I've had to bump weddings (not my own thank god!) party's, Hibs games, work and even holiday along with loads of other things. I don't beat myself up about it as it changes absolutely nothing.

[neil7908]

Serious question, what if you just feel down due to a particular difficult time in your life. How do know if it is depression or not?

It's a really good and important question as it's not an easy thing to define.

I think based on my (admittedly limited) understanding part of the key symptoms of depression is hopelessness.

I've had periods of my life where I've felt really down about something but I've been able to clearly identify why I feel bad and haven't felt that my whole life is miserable.

As someone else mentioned it's not being able to get up in the morning and face the day, not wanting to see friends and family, these kind of things.

I'm certainly no doctor though.

[neil7908]

In terms of the actual thread I was pleased when Lennon joined but a little wary. He did a longish interview on BBC radio Scotland not long after he joined and that really made me respect him more as he talked very candidly about the his depression.

Its a hard thing to do in life but I'd imagine it's especially tough in a sport like this football so massive respect to him.

[Mikey09]

For anybody interested there's a really good thread, best one on this forum in my opinion, on The Holy Ground titled Depression and anxiety. You'll get a good understanding of what some people go through on a daily basis. It's a really good thread.

[Neil 1875]

[/B]


Absolutely 100% agree with this. In my battle with bipolar I am the one who takes responsibility for how I cope with my highs and lows. The highs can be a bit tricky to gauge personally and my wife can reel me in when needed. The lows I have learned to deal with in my own way. Sounds a bit crazy but different episodes can be dealt in various ways as some are way worse than others. Here's one example for you... I had to give my Scottish cup final ticket away as I had a brutal episode a few days before it. But it's something I accepted happens a long time ago so that's the way it is. Life goes on.

A similar thing happened with myself mikey. I was supposed to take my son to the cup final but I was struggling. We ended up watching it on tv. I also missed the cup parade up town. My son brought me back a winning cup final flag. Pretty gutted I missed it all but hey ho.