May 1st marks the beginning of the international ME awareness month 2013. Head over to the ‘invest in ME‘ website to find out what activities are in place over the next four weeks. Helping raise awareness of this debilitating condition and funding further research into the causes and potential treatments. It is a very worthwhile cause.

ME is myalgic encephalomyelitis and is also referred to as Chronic fatigue syndrome or CFS. It is a long term condition of tiredness and fatigue that has no medical routes, that is, that there is no other medical condition causing the fatigue or tiredness. It is usually diagnosed by your doctor, however, there is no real test to evaluate ME like other medical conditions. The diagnosis is made by evaluating the patients symptoms.

People with ME often feel that the word ‘fatigue’ isn’t enough or descriptive enough of their condition, as there can be many more symptoms to ME than just tiredness. Therefore, there are some people who believe that CFS and ME are two entirely different conditions.

International ME awareness month 2013

Cause?

The cause of ME/CFS is relatively unknown despite a large number of research projects. For some, the belief is that it may have been triggered by a virus, leading to post viral depression as seen in cases of glandular fever. However, in conditions such as glandular fever or even influenza, the individual usually recovers in a matter of weeks, or up to 7 weeks in the case of glandular fever.

There are certain other factors that are taken into account when dealing with ME, such as, persistent stress, viral infections, depression or mood disorders, and even a poor diet can make symptoms worse in the sufferer.

ME affects equally as many men as it does women and statistics reveal that it affects 1 in 300 people. It can also be found in young adults between the ages of 13 to 16. Although the most likely time to develop symptoms are between 20 and 40.

Symptoms

The most common symtom of ME/CFS is fatigue and tiredness. This can be both psychologically and physiologically. The onset of the tiredness can come at any point and normally has to last longer than 4 months to be diagnosed.

The fatigue is of such a degree, that it can’t readily be compared to other forms of tiredness, such as the fatigue you may feel after gardening, or a days work for example. It also doesn’t seem to be eased by bed rest. And different to depression, there is no real loss of pleasure in doing things or a lack of motivation. Unfortunately, the symptoms are often made worse by activities that require exertion.

The symptoms of ME will often cause problems in focus and concentration, which may lead to poor decision making skills. It can also affect the short term memory. Because ME doesn’t seem to be eased by sleeping, it can often lead to problems in trying to fall asleep, staying asleep and very often, sufferers will wake up much earlier than they intend to. Leading to further frustrations.

There is usually an accompanying muscle soreness, discomfort in the joints and headaches.

The severity of the ME symptoms are usually divided into three categories.

Mild, moderate and severe cases.

Treatment

Although, at present, there is no known cure for ME/CFS – there are a number of treatment options which may help ease the symptoms, or to manage the symptoms.

At my consulting room I use an approach of CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) and hypnosis to help manage the symtoms. Relaxation has been proved very useful and hypnosis is a wonderfully safe way to induce feelings of calmness and relaxation in the client.

CBT helps the client identify certain thoughts that may be leading to negative feelings and behaviour. It can also help with decision making and readjusting maladaptive thinking into a more rational way of thinking.

Raising awareness of such conditions makes the symptoms easier to understand if you know someone who suffers from the condition. It may also help those who are presenting with the effects of MS to better understand the new research that is going on and to help you cope better with the physical and mental impact of the disease.

Multiple Sclerosis is a neurological condition that affects the central nervous system in the body. Approximately 100,000 people in the UK suffer from the condition which attacks the nerve fibers within the nervous system.

It is normally diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 40 and affects more women than men, approximately 3 times more. Not much is know about the actual cause of the disease but, unfortunately, once diagnosed, it stays with the individual for life. The process of treatment is more of a management rather than a cure, as of yet, there is no cure available, but some sufferers may have times of remission, where the MS is more manageable.

Research is very important and it is developing fast, which is why it is essential to keep the general public informed of progresses and of events within the UK that support the great on going study into the condition. You can find out more events and how you can help the cause, over at http://www.mssociety.org.uk/get-involved.

You should always consult your GP if your are feeling unwell or think that you may be presenting with any of the symptoms associated with MS, but it also important to understand that some symptoms may relate to other conditions, so always seek professional help and advice.

Vision

You may have momentary loss or blurring within your vision. Sometimes people report a doubling of vision or a mis-coordination of the eyes. The vision can often get worse through times of stress, so emotional support is very helpful.

Gut

Incontinence or constipation. Although, constipation is much more common in MS than incontinence. Because of the nervous system within the gut is linked to the rest of the nervous system, the damage to the nerve fibres can confuse the normal functioning of the bowel. Again, it is important to get this checked out as it may point to other conditions such as IBS (irritable bowel syndrome).

Throat

A lot of sufferers of MS report problems in swallowing caused by the damage to the nerve cells and the communication between the brain and the movement of the nerves and muscles of the throat.

Speech

Approximately 40% to 50% of MS sufferers report problems in their speech, but the alterations in speech for most will be mild.

Trembling 

people with MS will often suffer from tremors which are involuntary shakes which may be small in effect or much larger at times. These symptoms usually develop many years after the individuals’ first diagnosis of MS. On average between 5 and fifteen years.

The types of tremor felt are spit into two. Intention tremor which comes about when you intentionally reach out for something and, Postural Tremor which is the shaking you encounter when trying to stand or stay stood up or when sitting down

The month of April is IBS awareness month (irritable bowel syndrome) and helps to raise the profile of this, often, debilitating condition.

IBS is recognised as affecting between 9% and 23% of the worlds population, and these are only the figures of those who have been diagnosed with the disorder. Many people remain undiagnosed so I am hoping that raising the awareness of Irritable bowel syndrome will help more people to seek help, and although there is no cure for IBS, it can be managed with both medication and through the use of hypnosis.

The International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders (IFFGD) designated April as IBS awareness month back in 1977 and it has remained ever since.

What is IBS?

There is no real cause for IBS and some say that it develops through stressful situations and then becomes a long term condition of gastrointestinal functioning. Normally it affects the large part of the bowel (Colon) and some of the small intestine. The disfunction can create a number of unpleasant symptoms due to the disturbances in the motor function, the physical sensations and the secretions within the bowel itself.

There is a significant connection between the brain and the stomach and the activity in the brain affects the way the gut performs. When this is impaired we can feel symptoms of:

• Painful cramping
• Trapped wind
• Bloating
• Nausea
• Pains in the back
• Diarrhoea and constipation

Approx 1 in 5 people in the UK suffer from the main symptom of IBS indicated above, which is a staggering figure (provided by BMI healthcare).

IBS should be diagnosed by your doctor and they will normally conduct tests to rule out other diseases. Because this condition can really affect your way of life, it is important to take steps to manage it. You can take anti-spasmonal tablets to help with the cramping. If stressful situations trigger your IBS then it s important to bring into effect any strategies to reduce this stress and a lot of sufferers find relaxation techniques to be very beneficial. Changes in lifestyle may also help with the symptoms such as reducing alcohol intake and cutting down on spicy or fatty foods and coffee. Some people benefit from taking probiotic drinks to maintain a healthier gut.

Hypnotherapy has also been proven to be effective in managing the disorder and at my clinic in Warrington, I help IBS sufferers to cope with the stress and the pain and teach self-hypnosis so they can utilise this tool in their own time as and when they need it. If you suffer from IBS and would like to begin to manage the symptoms then why not take back that control today.

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I was astonished to learn that around 207,000 children between the ages of 11 and 15 start to smoke every year in the UK.

This can be broken down to approximately 567 children a day, who take their first steps to smoking.

This leads me to ponder if kids begin to smoke for the same reasons that children smoked 20 years ago. And all the more reason for introducing plain cigarette packaging into the UK. But will this actually deter the youngsters. Will making the packets a little more taboo, increase or decrease the sale of tobacco to youngsters? Well, one would have to ask, is it the children who buy the cigarettes? Maybe so for the kids who look a little older, but probably not for 11 or 12 year olds.

So perhaps the real reasons are social, to fit in with their friends, to appear to be a little older, or perhaps to look cool or tough?

Perhaps the government should spend the cash on advertising how uncool it is for kids to smoke, get some big names on board to endorse it. Hit the schools with great campaigns to show that smoking is antisocial and the message may hit home.

These figures are very shocking but a staggering 27% of all children under the age of 16 have tried smoking at least once!

What is a little more concerning is that the figure has risen by 50,000 since 2010, which stood at 157,000.

Despite these figures, The Tobacco Manufacturers Association reported that the percentage of kids who smoke cigarettes is at an all time low?

For me, plain packaging is simply not enough – if plastering the packets with death warnings and horrible pictures of cancerous throats and other parts of the body, didn’t deter smokers, then I hardly think plain white packaging will do anything more

Frank Bruno’s fight with mental illness has been a very public battle, much as Paul Gascoine’s battle with alcohol. But anything that raises public awareness of issues such as these are always welcome in my opinion.

Frank is often heard stating that his battle with his mental health has been the hardest battle of his life. To help him win this battle he certainly needs more help, and he took steps to raise the awareness by visiting the Houses of Parliament and the health minister Norman Lamb. Mr Lamb had invited Frank along to hear first hand, all about his battle so far.

It’s been a while since Frank boxed, 17 years to be precise, but since then he has fought his battle with mental illness and in 2003 he was sectioned. Frank was again sectioned twice more, when his family became concerned about him last year.

Thankfully Frank pulled through but now he is eager to get his point across and help alter the way the NHS treat people with mental health issues. And this is why he is talking to the health minister.

Firstly, he talks about the 13th April last year, which was when he was taken into Basildon Hospital in Essex.

Excerpts from The Mirror’s “Frank Bruno: Mental illness was my toughest fight”

“I opened my door and standing in front of me were seven police officers and three marked police cars,” he tells Mr Lamb. “If I was a robber or a ­murderer I could understand it. But I wasn’t. I wasn’t being violent. It was so ­undignified. I feel I lost my dignity.”

As he speaks, concern sweeps across Mr Lamb’s face. “I agree,” he tells Frank. “Just ­because you are being ­sectioned doesn’t mean you should be treated with a lack of dignity. It is something we must be more aware of when ­dealing with ­patients with mental illness.”

After he was sectioned last year, Frank spent five days at Basildon ­Hospital before a medical board ruled he should be released. But within weeks he was ­sectioned again and spent more than a month in St Andrew’s Hospital in ­Northampton. He says being in ­hospital made his condition worse.

He tells Mr Lamb: “I was not treated well. In Basildon I nearly got stabbed. I am sad to say that too many staff didn’t give a ­monkey’s.

“Many of the staff were excellent, but some were no good enough. Most of the time people were in their room all day pumped full of medication and only went outside for an hour or so a day. I would exercise a lot, doing hundreds of press-ups a day and walking round and round in the yard. But nobody was encouraged to be active.”

Now Frank takes medication to help control his mental illness. “I feel I am being used a bit like a guinea pig,” he says. “A lot of the time I feel like a ­zombie. All too often I think doctors are ­dishing out pills to people without thinking too much about the other options. ­Sectioning someone and then locking them away is the easy option and I feel it often happens without much thought going into other choices available.”

And this is where I agree with Frank completely. We are a pill popping nation and it is all too easy to prescribe without exploring other options. But I guess therapy costs money, that’s pretty obvious, and I only wish that there were bigger budgets for talk therapies, so they can be more available to vulnerable people who are not so well off financially.

Treating anyone without respect is bad enough, but treating a person who is suffering from mental health issues without dignity is simply not good enough and I truly hope Mr Lamb takes note of this, by all accounts he was very touched by Frank Bruno’s story, as indeed was I. This kind of story may be a familiar one across the country, so lets hope things begin to improve in this sector.

When we feel depressed, we feel deflated and de-energised and so it is natural to feel very demotivated, it can be a real challenge. Not only does depression affect the mind it also affects the body, leaving the sufferer feeling exhausted. You know there are things needed to be done, but somehow the will to carry them through doesn’t exist and even the small tasks seem to be too much to take on. To some, even getting out of bed, getting showered and dressed can all seem very challenging.

People who suffer from depression often avoid the activities that they used to enjoy and try to wait for the depression to end, or at least until they feel a little better. This also applies to carrying out simple tasks, the thought of waiting for the motivation and drive to return, but somehow it never does.

The answer to this is to ‘challenge’!. Although this sounds rather too simplistic, the reason why the low mood lingers on is because the challenge has been taken out of the equation. The depressed individual needs to confront the depression and challenge it head on. This doesn’t have to be a huge fight, gently challenging the small tasks can really help bring structure and meaning back into scope.

Small and realistic steps can be taken to confront the depression. There is no point setting a target too high, out of reach, because the journey of getting to the goal will be too much and more likely to fail. Set yourself smaller tasks, so that actually achieving them is more realistic.

So what goals can we set that are realistic and achievable?

• Plan out key points in your day

Set your alarm to go off at the same time each morning, helping establish a new routine, rather than stay in bed. Plan when you are going to eat so that you stick to your meals and don’t miss them out. If you have a new style phone, then there will be an alarm service on the calandar. use this feature to plan out your day and try your best to stick to this.

•  For every thought there is an equal and opposite thought!

If you think that it is better to lay on the couch and watch daytime TV because it is easier to do so, then you can recognise that this may be feeding the depression. Think of the opposite thought, of not laying there and watching the TV, get up and do something different. trick your depression by doing something against the usual routine (or lack of one). If you would rather stay indoors than venture out ask yourself what is the negative thought about going out? Then think of the opposite thought, one that is more beneficial to you. Challenging negative thinking is a big part in overcoming the depression.

• Get out of bed, washed and dressed

This can be a challenge as depressed individuals may feel safe in the bedroom. They may not have slept too well and feel very lethargic. This is especially difficult in the winter months, when it may be still dark outside, and cold! Turn on a light and sit up, then gently swing your legs out of the covers. You can then make your bed which is a positive reinforcement to indicate that the bed has now served its purpose of providing restful sleep and that part is now over until the time when you retire in the evening.

Take a shower! Or simply have a quick wash in the basin. A shower in the morning can really revitalise you and help you relax. Do your hair and if you are a male, then have a shave. It can be easy to fall out of this routine so it needs to again, be challenged. It is a signal of getting ready for the day ahead.

Choose some clothes to wear and get dressed. All of the above steps are key in signalling to the mind that the nighttime is now over and the day has begun. Wearing your nightgown or pyjamas throughout the day is a reinforcement of the depressed feelings of just lounging around, waiting for something to happen.

• Go for a walk

It is key to get out and about, to sample the fresh air and to refresh your senses with new scenery. It can be very difficult to venture outdoors when you feel so low. the house can become a symbol of safety and comfort and again this has to be gently challenged. So decide to go for a walk, even if at first it is just around the corner and back. Try walking to the local shop if it is near by. It doesn’t have to be a trek. You can even drive somewhere and then get out and have a walk. Try to see if you can stay out longer than you anticipated.

• Exercise!

Oh heck, there’s that word… However, even moderate to low exercise can really help lift the mood. Exercise releases our feel good hormones and although at first, you may not feel so much benefit, stick with it and not only will it help with the mood, it will also make you more active and fitter, helping your body to feel more energised. try walking or swimming or even cycling to begin with, these are all described as low impact activities and are easier on the joints.

• Pleasant activities

Write down a list of 5 pleasant activities that you know. These are activities that have given you pleasure in the past or the present. Shopping, visiting a friend, sewing, writing, painting, anything that has given you pleasure. Then write down 5 pleasant activities that you would like to try and that are new to you. Anything that you may have thought about and thought that it sounded interesting and pleasurable.

Then choose one of each and plan to carry out that activity as a personal goal. Don’t try too much too soon. Give it time. Plan to do one of these activities and stick to it. Again you could write it on the calendar or store it in your phone to remind you to carry it out. eventually, you can keep a record of your activities each week and monitor how you felt about each time you carried out one of those activities, scoring it from 0 to 10. 0 being no enjoyment and 10 meaning that you really enjoyed it. People often state that they got zero enjoyment from an activity, but in reflection, even if it was scored a 2 out of 10, then that is some enjoyment!

• Support network

If you have family and friends that are supportive then use them as an opportunity to get out and talk face to face, and have some human interaction. This is really good in improving the mood as it gets the depressed person out of the house. Set certain times and dates to meet up and try to stick to the schedule.

• Seek Therapy

This is an important part of the process of getting better. Psychotherapy helps the individual manage the symptoms of depression and is structured in its approach, helping the individual understand their problems and working through such things as, thoughts, feelings and behaviours. Quite often making decisions is difficult, so psychotherapy can help the person make more informed decisions based on the choices and options they have. Therapy can help the individual to manage and eventually, prevent their symptoms from returning. It can help with motivational issues in challenging certain behaviours by looking at deep underlying beliefs, often called ‘core beliefs’, about ourselves, others and the world around us.

It is important to take action and tackle these symptoms as soon as possible. Very often, people wait months or even years, trying to lift themselves out from the low mood. So, don’t delay. Your mood may be extremely low and you may feel lethargic and demotivated, but these are symptoms that can be challenged. Just talking about your problems with someone who understands your needs, can be extremely therapeutic and help to get things off your chest in a safe and understanding environment.

Depression can be challenged, managed, overcome and relapses prevented. You just need the tools and support to help you gently through the process.

Evolution Hypnotherapy and Psychotherapy, Warrington, Cheshire. 

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You can quit smoking now!

It has been found that quitting smoking actually helps reduce your anxiety, this is especially true for those people who use cigarettes to cope with situations in their everyday lives. This new research has come from Oxford and Cambridge Universities and from Kings college London.

Smoking doesn’t relieve stress and anxiety, this is more psychosomatic and lives in the brain of the smoker as a belief. However, smoking is more of an ‘anxiogenic’, which means it causes anxiety! If your a smoker it is important that you know this so that the old belief can be changed, which may help you quit smoking, or at least give you that push.

In the research, 491 smokers were studied by enrolling them in the NHS smoking cessation clinics in the UK. Nicotine patches were distributed to all the participants and they had to attend a weekly session. Within the group, 106 of them had previously been diagnosed with mental health problems, predominantly anxiety disorders.

Each of the members of the group were tested for their levels of anxiety and were then asked a question about if their smoking was mainly for pleasure, or manly to cope with things, or about equal.

68 (twenty four percent) of the participants became ex smokers and remained so six months later, and out of these, 10 had a psychiatric disorder.

The results of the test indicated that those participants that gave up smoking suffered less anxety. This reduction in the levels of anxiety was especially prominent in those smokers who used to smoke to be able to ‘cope’ with life, as opposed to those smokers who smoked mainly for pleasure.

There were some that started smoking again and out of those, the ‘pleasure’ smokers noted little change in their anxiety levels. Importantly, those who returned to smoking that use smoking as a way of coping, noted that their anxiety levels once again, increased.

The ‘copers’ were far more likely to smoke their first cigarette as soon as they wake up in the morning. According to the study, this kind of behaviour is there as a way of staving off the withdrawal symptoms, not only of the nicotine but also of the anxiety. However, if the smoker had managed to quit, then the episodes of anxiety would have eventually lifted, helping them to feel more relaxed and less anxious.

So, the result of the research indicates that quitting smoking certainly reduces symptoms of anxiety and this effect is felt more in those who suffer from and anxiety disorder and who use smoking as a way of coping with stress. If the attempt to quit had failed, there was a notable return if the anxiety, but this was mainly felt more in those suffering with psychiatric problems than those without, and also in those who use smoking as a way of coping.

As I mainly deal in anxiety disorders, I am really keen to indicate that stopping smoking is really beneficial to your mental health. I run my stop smoking hypnosis sessions at my private office in Warrington, Cheshire. I do a one stop session with a free follow up if needed and I have had many very happy clients who have quit smoking and are still ex-smokers.

If you believe you can do it, then why not drop me a line.

What is Blue Monday?

The 21st of January is considered to be the most depressing day of the year! I am unsure as to how this came about or indeed, who decided it was the worst day of the year but there is a really decent campaign behind this date run by the MHRUK (Mental health research UK). This charitable organisation aims to raise funds for help in researching mental health issues and raising public awareness to them.

At this time of year depression can be worse due to the lack of natural light. Everywhere is dark, gloomy and rainy. It is also a good time to raise awareness of Seasonal affected disorder (SAD), which the sufferer has a low mood throughout the winter months due to a lack of natural UV light on the back of the eyes. Christmas is all over and the New year celebrations are now in the past. It seems such a long way until spring arrives, never mind summer.

This campaign encourages you to wear the brightest possible clothes on the 21st. It is great to get your colleagues also involved to raise the spirits of the working environment. And if you don’t work at the moment, then why not just wear some colourful clothes anyway. The MHRUK would really like to brighten up this particular date of the 21st January 2013, in an attempt to turn ‘Blue Monday‘ into ‘Blooming Monday’. This is for a really worthwhile and charitable cause.

You can also make a donation to the cause by texting BLOO22 to 70070 and donate £2 for each text!

The cause also has it’s own Facebook page which can be found here.

Raising awareness of mental health issues will help to remove the stigma from the problems associated with such afflictions as depression, stress and anxiety. So why not do your bit to help raise the profile of this worthwhile cause.

How our diet affects depression

Depression is remaining to be one of the biggest problems that our society faces. If you look at the NICE website (that’s the National institute of clinical excellence) up to 36% of adults in the UK suffer from varying degrees of depression. The figure involved here means that by 2026, the amount of people in the UK suffering from depression could be 1.45 million, and this is just the figure reflecting the identified number of individuals, there may be many thousands more who have depression but yet to seek help!

It is estimated to be the second biggest disability in the world by 2020. The help on offer for depression is medication in the form of antidepressants and talk therapy such as CBT or Hypnotherapy, but still, the numbers of people affected by depression, still grows. The cost for treating this condition runs into the Billions!

Perhaps rather than look to medication and talk therapy, we should be concentrating of prevention, and our diets could play an extremely important role here. What we put into our mouths could be the answer for many people and could reduce the prevalence of depression. So is food really the best medicine?

Depression follows the ‘biopsychosocial’ model which means that depression is influenced by a number of factors, biological, psychological and social factors. Food effects our biological functioning via the vagus nerve, which runs between our brains and our digestive tract, so that they communicate with each other. If we took a severe knock to the head, our gut can actually go into distress. A recent study discovered that stimulating this nerve following a brain trauma, halted the gastrointestinal distress within the patient, (Bansal, 2010). So this is a pretty important discovery and the link between the mind and the digestive system is a strong and valid one and helps us better understand how food can or could effect depression.

To reinforce this direct link, we should examine how obesity (being heavily overweight) is connected with depression in both children and adults. Being overweight does increase the likelihood of developing depression and visa versa, e.g. being depressed can lead directly to being overweight. I mentioned the social aspects of developing depression so we can look to the environment, such as living conditions and poverty, where the cheapest foods are more likely to make us overweight. There are also genetic factors at play and depression very often runs in families. So both our genes and our environment, can directly lead to either depression, or obesity, or the other way round.

At this point we can look into ‘systemic inflammation’. This is were there is a release of pro-inflammatory cytokines (protein molecules) form our immune related cells and then follows  a chronic activation of our innate immune system. This can lead to a resistance in insulin and an elevated risk of heart disease. Systemic inflammation can be triggered by a number of things, such as having too much adipose tissue (body fat tissue). Inflammation can also be found within the brain once these elements pass from the gut barrier into the brain barrier. The cytokines can travel into the hypothalamus (the part of the brain that controls our nervous system) and other parts of the brain and can lead to fluctuation in mood. Therefore, these inflammatory cytokines play an important role in our mood function which could lead to depression.

Lets look at the options on nutrition. Well, it’s pretty obvious, plenty of fruit and veg, which help develop the flora in the gut, which in turn, helps our digestive system to be more defensive against the inflammation. Foods that are rich in florate include fruit and dark green vegetables. Try and boost your levels of selenium, you can buy supplements for this or foods rich in selenium include brazil nuts, shellfish and liver. Foods containing vitamin D may also help with mood too, these include soya, tofu, fish and mushrooms. We also increase our vitamin D levels wen we are out in the sunshine. In places where there is limited sunshine, there are higher risks of depression and other mood disorders such at seasonal affected disorder (SAD).

If your diet is poor or deficient in good nutrients then supplementing the vitamins by taking a multivitamin could really help improve the mood. People often take vitamin D with calcium to help absorption into the blood and to help the bones grow stronger. Fishy oils have also been linked to good mental health, so if you don’t like eating fish then an omega or fish complex supplement could help. I should point out that it is always best to see someone who is qualified to give you the correct information, such as a nutritionist or your GP.

Relaxation exercises are also good to help you deal with stressful situations, so practicing self hypnosis and meditation are great ways to help you deal with stress, so that your mind is healthy and this has a wonderful impact on your body too. It really is a mind body connection. Try not to eat on the move, take your time eating and be mindful. What I mean by this is, try to value what you are eating, chew slowly and relish the flavours. Imagine if you had deprived yourself of chocolate for a month and then took a mouthful of chocolate, your mouth would burst with flavours and the experience is enhanced when you relish each bite.

So, food really does play an important role in our mood. With the correct nutrients in our body it really can influence our mind which then pays back the health to the body.

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Brian Conley has had to leave the jungle on ‘I’m a celebrity, get me out of here’, due to exhaustion and malnutrition. This, of course, wasn’t the only reason. Brian later revealed that he has suffered from depression for the last 15 years and has taken anti-depressants for the same amount of time.

He made the decision to stop taking his medication whilst in the jungle, and quite rightly, the producers of the show got very concerned.It had been written in his contract that he take his medication daily or he wouldn’t be allowed to take part in the show. However, he ignored this clause, and for that the producers rightly pulled him from the show.

Coming off anti-depressants takes a little time and it needs to be done in measured stages and not just halted. It can lead to all kinds of unpleasant symptoms such as dizziness, so they did the right thing in protecting Brian’s health. Brian left the camp swiftly, which is a shame because I was really enjoying his time in there, and seems such a genuine and authentic person, unfortunately, after he was checked by the doctors in Australia, he ended up in hospital sedated. Thankfully he has made a full recovery.

I do applaud Brian Conley for making a really bold decision and I think he just thought that it was now or never and if he could handle his time in the jungle then he could handle anything.

On GMTV this morning, Lorraine Kelly spoke to Brian, in an, at times, rather emotional interview, where Brian revealed his secret of depression. I am so glad he did. This really highlights the subject and gets it out there to millions of people who still see it as a taboo subject. Brian proved that depression is not selective and that it is something anyone can suffer from, whether you are a famous name or not. He later told Lorraine that he was still not taking the medication and that he felt great.

It was obvious that Brian became emotional over the thought that somehow he had let his family down and spoke of how much he wanted to win the crown for his kids. But as he held back the tears (as did I), he told Lorraine that his youngest daughter was going to make him a scepter made of wood (something the winner of the show get to sport, along with a leafy crown). This, I feel, will mean a lot more to him than winning a game show.

Good on you Brian for bringing the subject of mental health back into the public eye. We need champions like you, you’re stronger that you think.