Events
Depression Dialogues began in June 2004 with the first public meeting in Dublin. These meetings have continued monthly since, and take place on the first Thursday of each month from 7.30 to 9.30pm. Each meeting is facilitated by Dr Michael Corry, co-author with Dr Aine Tubridy of Going Mad? and Depression: an Emotion, not a Disease.
Each person attending is asked to make a small donation towards running costs. Enquiries: Tel (01) 2800084. The meetings are now held at 2 Eden Park, Glasthule, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin.(For details of dates and how to get there, click on 'next meeting' at the bottom of any page.)Each meeting is a forum for members of the public to share their stories of depression and, in particular, what is helping them gain control of their lives again. Since the first meeting in June 2004, those who made contributions spoke passionately about what they found to have healing qualities: namely, the importance of supportive friendships, the reconnection with pleasurable pursuits, the value of a healthy diet, the need to enliven the energy of the body through exercise, yoga, tai chi, acupuncture, deep tissue massage, homeopathy and the quietening of the mind through meditation and spiritual practices, and spending time out in nature.
Many expressed mixed feelings about the benefits of anti-depressant medication and their side effects, and about the poor standards of in-patient care. All agreed about the part played in their depression by setbacks, trauma, unresolved old wounds, and the need to have them witnessed and understood. The importance of counselling and psychotherapy was recognised, but the consensus was that these were not readily available. Many felt the need for a more holistic approach to be taken by their doctors.
The ultimate aim of the meetings is to humanise the emotion of depression, to understand its cause and effect relationship and to create new avenues for change. The Wellbeing Foundation, the sponsoring organisation for Depression Dialogues, intends to develop a programme of meetings and seminars building on experience so far. The first step will be to take the Depression Dialogues meetings on the road, and to hold meetings in other urban centres in Ireland. Anyone who is interested in receiving further information should sign up for our e-mail newsletter (occasional only). Anyone interested in helping to organise the meetings in centres outside Dublin should contact admin@depressiondialogues.ie or telephone (01) 2800084.
Life cannot wait until the sciences may have explained the universe scientifically. We cannot put off living until we are ready. The most salient characteristic of life is its coerciveness: it is always urgent, ‘here and now', without any possible postponement. Life is fired at us point-blank.
Jose Ortega y Gasset
