Ruby Wax: 'Depression is like the Devil has Tourette's in your head'

Comedian Ruby Wax writes for ITV News as part of a campaign in which key figures from the worlds of entertainment, sport, politics, the media and the military are backing a call for more to be done to tackle mental illness in the UK.

More than 200 people have now signed an open letter to the Government calling for greater help.

I joined this campaign because it’s appalling that there isn’t parity between mental and physical health.

Any professional in the field will tell you that what is mental is physical and vise versa – the activity in the brain affects the entire body so why is there such a stigma if the most important organ in your body is malfunctioning?

The research into Alzheimer’s and dementia is one of the most prevalent of problems of this decade, and these are brain diseases - so why should depression or bipolar be any different?

Why is it that they’re discriminated against?

The waiting lines are endless, whereas, if you suffer from a physical illness you’ll eventually be seen.

To make it worse, most GPs haven’t been trained in mental disorders; they haven’t got the training to distribute drugs.

In my opinion, they dole them out like sweets in the hopes the problem will go away- it’s not going away, it’s accelerating.

The highest rate of suicide is men under 30, more and more children are affected by mental illness.

And if you don’t care about those, £100 billion are lost each year on absenteeism at work due to a stress related illness.

Ninety per cent of people seeking medical care are doing so because of stress-related disorders linked to extreme emotions, rather than actual illnesses.

There would be less of a burden on the NHS as many mental disorders cause predispositions to many chronic diseases and other conditions, such as dementia, diabetes 2, heart disease, certain cancers, premature aging and many others.

Outside of that, criminality, drug abuse and violence are the result of mental problems that aren’t addressed early.

If children who have signs of anti-social behaviour were treated early enough, many of these problems would be eradicated.

You’d think with all the advancements in medicine we’d be able to live fairly healthy, long lives.

In this decade it won’t be things like Smallpox, Dengue fever, Bubonic Plague that will kill us, it will be stress, burn out and mental conditions.

And here’s what’s unbelievable – the government aren’t addressing it.

If we’re going to prevent the foreboding 2020 prediction that it will be mental illness that will be the biggest cause of mortality, then we’re going to have to do something. Fast.

These are the views of Ruby Wax and do not necessarily reflect those of ITV News.

• If you are in distress or need some support, the Samaritans are available 24 hours a day on 08457 90 90 90 or visit their website.