Discussing mental illness is praiseworthy — it’s not washing dirty linen

HOW very insensitive of Áilín Quinlan (January 13) to describe discussion of a mental illness as “washing dirty linen” and to include it as on a par with discussions of people’s marital disagreements. In the case of marital disagreements (or parental abuse, which was also listed), there is usually at least one person culpable.

In the case of depression, nobody is to blame, and certainly not the person suffering from it. Marian Keyes should be praised and encouraged for her willingness to share the fact of her depression with the public.

Only when enough people do this can depression (and any other mental illness) be seen as something that happens: it happens to all sorts of people from all walks of life through no fault of their own.

It is no more ‘dirty linen’ than a broken leg or pneumonia or cancer or a stroke. It is a common condition which, sadly, has stigma attached to it, although shared apparently by very large numbers of people. We need to start realising in this country that mental illness is just an illness.

It’s very tough for any person who has any illness and the most important thing they need, apart from professional help, is support from their family, friends and, dare I say it, from the media.

Philomena O’Brien

Hesperides

Inniscarra

Co Cork