As a composer/musician, I’ve had my share of depression. Luckily for me, I got help, after finding a great doctor who understood the profound intricacies the mind plays when one is depressed.

I believe the road to recovery is your doctor, but you have to find the right one. Unfortunately in Ireland, unless you find the right doctor, you can be sent from A to Z and back again, and again, and again. That’s the reason I believe we have so many suicides with our young and older men and women. The only road to recovery is talking. To do that, you need a person who can unite with you and comprehend the situation you are in.     I was unlucky for a few years, until I found the listener which was my new doctor.

Can you imagine being sent to a psychiatrist and then sent back to your doctor for medication. The next time you see the psychiatrist is maybe in a month if you’re lucky, and more than likely it’ll be a different one, unless you can afford to pay for one. Help is urgent in all types of depression.

Medication and cognitive therapy is a great help, but talking above all else is the answer. Being in bed alone eats you up mentally. You must leave the bed, go for walks with someone, get a dog, join a club, learn an instrument. Yes, when you do something like this, you will be meeting and talking with someone. Above all, join some type of club – or simply put, get yourself a hobby.

It won’t be easy, but when you get going you will be a new person. Don’t be afraid to tell your new friends you have mental health issues, as that is part of the solution. I find music a tremendous help, as you’re out playing and enjoying yourself with others, who more than likely have also suffered from depression.

I love composing music and people have told me they listen to my music to relax, which is nice to hear. Find music to play that suits you and if you play an instrument, keep learning new songs or tunes.

Please, please don’t give up, as life will once again be wonderful once you get the right doctor. And don’t forget, talk talk talk. Your loved ones are only too happy to help you.

100 Voices was published in the Hot Press Mental Health Special in conjunction with Lyons Tea and Pieta House as part of the Now We're Talking Campaign. For more please visit hotpress.com/now-were-talking/