In the Dark Depths of Depression

For the past few years, I have been unfortunate enough to suffer from a combination of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. I have found it very difficult to talk about my experiences to my family and friends during this time and I could never bring myself to recount my deepest thoughts or feelings to any of them.

I decided to describe my difficult journey through poetry and once I started writing, one poem just led onto another. Although I found it quite easy to write these poems, the thought that others will read them and discover my inner-most feelings, when I was in the dark depths of depression, is actually very scary! I am not ashamed of the depths of my illnesses; it's just that I have never wanted to admit how desperately ill I was to anyone else. I didn't want them to worry about me, so I always went out of my way to hide all evidence of how unwell I had actually become!

I hope that these poems can give a small insight into the thoughts and feelings that someone can have if they are affected by anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder. They are all conditions that can have hidden, invisible symptoms and are often not fully understood by those fortunate enough to have never been in their grips. Believe me though, if you become captured by any one of them, then it can feel that there will never be an escape from a very dark and disturbing world!