REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE LAUNCH OF DEPRESSION AWARENESS WEEK NATIONWIDE (DAWN) 2005
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE LAUNCH OF DEPRESSION AWARENESS WEEK NATIONWIDE (DAWN) 2005 BANK OF IRELAND ARTS CENTRE
Tá áthas orm bheith anseo libh inniu agus ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a chur in iúl daoibh as an chaoin-chuireadh. Tá ard-mheas agam le fada an lá ar an obair atá ar siúl agaibh i AWARE.
Good morning everybody and thank you for that warm welcome. I am particularly glad to be here with you this morning and I am grateful to Sandra Hogan for inviting me to join you in marking this important occasion.
There is nothing easy about the subject which is at the centre of today's launch. Depression is hard to talk about, hard to comprehend and very, very hard to live with. There is nothing comforting in the statistics either. Depression is sadly a growing phenomenon internationally and here in Ireland the story is as discomforting as anywhere else.
The very existence of AWARE is itself an indication of the huge impact of depression on the lives of so many, many people. It is also a firm indication of the immense power that people exercise when they set out to tackle what others might wrongly see as an almost intractable problem. AWARE has done so much to bring huge support and comfort to the lived lives of the victims of this insidious illness which cuts off so much enjoyment of life and fulfilment in life.
While there are many who seek out help from Aware and other organisations, yet we know that many other sufferers of depression live lives in quiet despair and loneliness not knowing where to turn, who to turn to, why they feel so desolate, so desperate, so despondent. Thankfully the helping hand that AWARE offers, that lifeline, stops many from slipping away into a cycle of defeatism and self-destructiveness. We know, too, that making that first contact, accepting that helping hand, often after years of quiet desperation, demands courage and strength and trust. The scars and trauma are often invisible to others, adding to their sense of isolation, hopelessness and low self-esteem. The reality is that almost every family in Ireland has had, or will have, some experience of depression. For it does not just affect the sufferer, but also family, friends, employers, colleagues and neighbours.
Those who have been down this strange and difficult road know how complex is the web, how rare the clear cut answer, but we also know now that there are very important contributing factors such as loneliness, bereavement, poor physical health; we know that genetic predisposition may be a factor. Each of these represents a warning sign which may help us to identify those in trouble and to chart a different kind of future. Science is making great strides in our understanding and in our treatment of depression but you, more perhaps than anyone else, know that there is still more to be done.
If we are to reverse the tide of depression, if we are to get a firm grip on this phenomenon, we need a society which is well-informed about depression, a society which takes seriously the role of community in promoting a culture of physical and mental well-being and a society which has a keen insight into the damage which can be caused by the clumsiness of ignorance. The way that depression is portrayed in public has a key role to play in the extent and accuracy of our understanding of it. Sensitive, non-sensational, informative approaches can do a great deal to debunk myths.
Events such as Depression Awareness Week represent a vital part in helping to heighten public awareness of depression, and help dispel the myths, misconceptions and misrepresentations associated with it. Such very public messages can do so much to let people know that help is available and, in doing so, can return hope to the lives of sufferers.
Hope is a seed and like all seeds, it needs to be nurtured, tended carefully, so that it can blossom. It is there in each one of us, if sometimes suppressed by other emotions. The search need not be a lonely journey, though it is a journey that no one else can travel for us. But others can help us along the way as AWARE does.
We know that support mechanisms for people at risk of depression can and do make an enormous difference. Those unhappy lives are evidence, not of personal failure or the inevitability of the cycle of depression, but of the cost to both the individual and the community when we allow even one person to slip through the safety net of care.
AWARE has done tremendous work giving people the tools, and the confidence, to share and discuss their fears in a supportive environment, to take control of their illness, to work towards healing themselves and re-engaging with those around them. It has encouraged and enabled many to return to employment, to make a positive contribution to their community, to reclaim their sense of self-worth and self-respect.
AWARE could not have become the outstanding success that it is today if it were not for the extraordinary dedication and commitment of its volunteers throughout the country. Their energy and generosity of spirit has made a real difference to literally thousands of people – to thousands of lives which might have otherwise remained only half-lived. On behalf of all those lives you have touched, I say a heartfelt thank you to those remarkably caring, selfless volunteers for caring and, more importantly, for doing something about it. Your work is hugely important, often done behind the scenes without thought of thanks or recognition but richly deserving both.
I congratulate everyone associated with making DAWN 2005 – Depression Awareness Week Nationwide happen and I wish you every success in your future work.
Comhghairdeas libh agus go n-éirí go geal libh. Go raibh maith agaibh.