A Reply to Bill Oddie

Bill Oddie this weekend writes in the Telegraph that celebrities shouldn’t talk about their depression and that we use it as a career move. In the second half of my last show “Out of Her Mind” I invited the audience speak out and once a week I invited the public in free of charge and brought volunteers from Sane,  Lewis Wolpert, Peter Fonagy head of the Anna Freud Centre, Mark Williams founder of mindfulness and many others. I simply organized the event to give people a chance to find individual help and get their questions answered.  I also toured mental institutions for 2 years not thinking the show was going to go to theatres in the U.K., Australia, Cape Town, Europe and the U.S.  I created Black Dog Tribe for people and care-givers to meet online because there is so much shame around this disease. I just graduated from Oxford University having studied neuroscience and mindfulness to learn more about how our minds work and why everyone in an urban environment is heading toward burn out. 

My book “Sane New World” is not about depression but rather how the brain works in everyone, and why many people (not 1 in 4 but 4 in 4) can’t deal with the 21st Century.  Obviously Bill did not read the book and yet claims it’s about depression.  I don’t work in T.V and haven’t for many years.  I am now touring my show to bring awareness to small audiences.  I wonder what he’s doing besides criticizing someone who is trying to help. Unfortunately, we live in a society that listens to celebrities I don’t feel great about that but it is the reason Comic Relief makes millions each year.  I think we should thank Stephen Fry for being the first to speak out, it’s a very brave thing to do and he didn’t have to to improve his career. 

This response has been quoted on the telegraph website