‘After that I plummeted, I went into a spiral… full-on depressed’

“I got panic attacks in school. Basically it’s just racing thoughts, fretting… getting completely over-anxious over minuscule, irrelevant things that you really shouldn’t be that worried about. After that the depression kicks in.”

At the age of 17, Stephen Magrath suddenly found that he could no longer sleep. He had little energy and was on edge all the time. He went from being naturally chatty and friendly to actively avoiding any social interaction. As months passed the symptoms worsened and he decided to visit his doctor.

Stephen was diagnosed with clinical depression – a psychiatric disorder that results in low self esteem and a loss of interest in life. It is estimated that depression affects more than 400,000 people at any one time across the country.

“I went to my GP and he put me on Effexer [a medication used to treat depression], then he upped the dosage, but that didn’t really work.

“I wasn’t communicating very well, my thought patterns were distorted. I was very in my shell, wasn’t really trusting people. I was avoiding people and wasn’t being cooperative. The psychiatrist took me off the medication because he didn’t think it was doing anything for me, but after that I plummeted. I went into a spiral. I was full-on depressed.”

After consulting with his parents and doctors Stephen made the decision to go to St. Patrick’s Hospital, a not-for-profit psychiatric facility in Dublin where Stephen’s recovery really progressed. He also sought help from the mental health charity Aware, attending group therapy.

“My Mam suggested that I should try Aware. Aware was really beneficial because there’s so many other people there in the same boat. Everyone’s really welcoming and supportive.

“Two lads, around my age, were telling me their stories and at that time all I was looking for was a bit of literature on depression, on what other people were going through and their stories”.

The latest statistics on the effects Stephen Magrath of depression suggest that mental health services are more important then ever before.

In Ireland, suicide claims more lives than road deaths and is the single largest killer of young men aged 15 – 24. According to Sandra Hogan of Aware, there are major failings on the part of mental health services in Ireland: “The current statutory mental health services are absolutely not sufficient. Depression hospitalises nearly 10,000 people each year and there is a real need for services such as those offered by Aware.”

Today Stephen has recovered from depression. He credits this to the work of family, friends, mental health professionals and organisations such as St. Patrick’s Hospital and Aware.

For many, access to these services is literally a matter of life and death.

Please Talk Please Laugh week takes place next week. The SU campaign hopes to draw attention to mental health issues among students.