“Depression” in normal conversation describes distress or unhappiness following an unpleasant event that has happened to us. This kind of depression is a perfectly normal response and usually resolves rapidly. In contrast, "depressive illness" is a much more severe and prolonged condition, with persistent sadness, negativity and difficulty coping, which will affect about 20% of people at some stage in their lives. (Thank you to Dr David Horgan's free community service website for this information)
It's about how we think, which determines how we feel, and how we behave.
Why I want to help raise awareness and funds
Depression has for many years been an illness close to my heart. It has affected my family and friends. It has presented serious life challenges for me and my community. In the process of overcoming these challenges I have learnt much about depressive illness, and about myself. I feel compelled to share these experiences in order to help others who may be facing similar challenges.
The day the realisation hit that I have to do something
My "aha moment" arrived just over a year ago in July 2009. I was speaking to my friend Gavin Heaton at "coffee mornings" about his project called The Perfect Gift for a Man, a collaborative book designed to raise awareness of mental health issues affecting young men aged 16-24 years. I decided to get involved, and published a blog post entitled "Thinking about Manweek". This post explained my personal struggle communicating my feelings to those I care about most. The comments I received were inspiring and made me feel better and more confident.
A couple of weeks later I submitted my own story for the book entitled "The Perfect Gift for a Man – Stories told from the Heart" Once again the comments I received inspired me. Even better, thetweets I posted inspired a corporate client of mine to submit a story which was also published! The book was published in late 2009 and since then has sold over 300 copies and raised over $2500 for the Inspire Foundation, an organisation devoted to helping young people lead happier lives. It was then that I realised blogging and social media was not only fun, educational and good for business, but that it also had the power to do social good, in particular to help people and raise awareness of important causes. I wanted to do more of this!
I first heard about the The Black Dog Ride from my "coffee mornings" friends Raz Chorev, Andrew Blanda and Robbie James who have united together to form Riding4aCause, which will join The Black Dog Ride in educating the community about male depression. This was inspiring to hear, and in July 2010, with the help of a friend from my family's school community, a bike was donated for me to use. I decided I could do this.
A collaborative blog started by Tony to help raise community awareness of depression across Australia. Tony completed the Black Dog Ride in 2010 leaving Sydney on Sunday 5th September 2010 and returning Monday 20th September 2010. All are welcome to post stories here by emailing post@tonyblackdogride.posterous.com
A collaborative blog started by Tony to help raise community awareness of depression across Australia. Tony completed the Black Dog Ride in 2010 leaving Sydney on Sunday 5th September 2010 and returning Monday 20th September 2010. All are welcome to post stories here by emailing post@tonyblackdogride.posterous.com
