Diagnose depression/anxiety from age 17 if I recall correctly, tried some SSRIs early on but didn't get much out of them, eventually gave up and had a pretty shitty time for much of my 20s, very up and down and got into some bad habits.

Really came crashing down in my late 20s, went to speak to my GP and he referred me to a psychiatrist. Was a bit reluctant at first but even after a few sessions with her and some new treatment (Sertraline) it's an amazing difference. CBT too, the whole whack.

I'm really surprised by sertraline, it has some grotty side effects inititally but once I was through those it's made a genuine difference to my mood, I feel much more 'even' with less ups and downs, much more motivated also. It's subtle, it's not like you wake up and are singing for joy but it definitely seems to have smoothed out my mood and eliminated the unshakeable depression/lack of motivation.

Unfortunately I had to come crashing down to get to this point and my life isn't exactly as I would have liked it to be at this point in time but I've at least now got an idea of what I need to do to rebuild it.

Yes, NHS mental health services can be hit or miss and it was lucky that I have a GP who was concerned enough to give me an emergency referral to the psychiatric hospital to see a psychiatrist which I know is relatively rare for very common clinical depression. A Psychiatrist gives you all the time you need and uses their skills to get you talking though, they're in far better position to get to the bottom of issues than a GP ever could and I think it's a shame that not everyone has access to them.

I do feel sorry for GPs who I know have to be very careful about not overloading what are already very stretched mental health services though, it has to be tough on them knowing there is a better way of doing things but referring everybody just isn't possible. CBT makes up for this somewhat, I've found it to be quite beneficial especially in combination with drug therapy.

I'm pretty open about my mental health, obviously it's not something I share with any random stranger (like any health concern, really) but I'm much more willing to discuss it with family and close friends these days than I was before. I'm not going to let stigma get the better of me, all I do is eat a pill every morning that has such a subtle effect you barely notice it until you're talking to a doctor and really think about it.

I take ibuprofen for my knackered knees, I take sertraline for my knackered brain. Occasionally I go see a doctor or therapist, it helps and I get on with life. It's not worth trying to cover it up or pretend it's anything out of the ordinary, it's just what I do to keep myself from spending entire days in bed with no energy and crushing negative thoughts.