I had a black dog. His name was depression

“ ‘Depression comes in different guises and haunts the lives of many. Although 1 to 2% of children can suffer depression, in most cases it begins with the onset of puberty. About 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 to 8 men will have an episode of depression at some time in their lives, and women are twice as vulnerable as men.
Research has shown that during depression there are changes in certain chemicals in the brain and the way in which brain cells send signals to each other. When animals are subjected to various stresses over certain periods of time, we know that their brains change too and they can also appear depressed. Looked at this way, depression can be seen as a 'brain state' that once triggered, will affect our thoughts, feelings and behaviour. Depression is not something to be ashamed about. There are in fact many ways to try to change these aspects of depression.’
Paul Gilbert, Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Derby and Head of Specialty, Adult Mental Health for the Derbyshire Mental Health Trust...”

This article features selections from the book, which is in graphic novel format, I HAD A BLACK DOG written and illustrated by Matthew Johnstone and published by Constable. It is available on SPECIAL OFFER to Yoga & Health readers until the end of November 2007. Please see page 30 of the October issue of the magazine for details.
The article is accompanied by an interview (interviewer Sam Evans) with the author, talking about his experiences and describing how he came to write the book.