Depression: A Nurse’s Experience  

Available from Amazon UK here
By Veronica Burton
Radcliffe Publishing
ISBN 9781846193057

A book about the honest experience of depression ahow how it has affected Veronica and her work. With insights into her Christian Faith as in the review below.

Review:

Having got to know Veronica well since her retirement, It has been a truly moving experience for me to read about her experiences of depression throughout her life, and of the varying reactions she has had from other people, especially in the medical profession. The chief purpose of her writing appears to be to encourage more sympathetic attitudes from those in the profession to other professionals  suffering from mental health issues. 

To someone from outside the profession, however, what has been particularly moving has been to see Veronica’s total honesty in describing her feelings in many different situations, even though some might accuse her of self-pity or self-indulgence.  In fact, for someone who has not experienced depression in this way, it is a real revelation of how terrifying depression can often be, and I would recommend the book wholeheartedly to anyone (medical or otherwise) who wants to understand and enter into what is the experience of so many in our society today.

The other truly remarkable feature of the book is the extraordinary detail in which Veronica has been able to recollect the many incidents which she describes – as the result is an amazingly vivid and convincing account covering many years, from her earliest years until now.

Though it never comes out explicitly in the text, what has undoubtedly been a key element enabling her to cope with her illness for so long has been her very strong Christian faith. It is revealed especially, however, in the humility which has enabled her to be so open and honest about her feelings, even though she could be misunderstood, and her consistent failure to relapse into negative criticism of those who may have failed in their attitudes to her.

The truth is that depression is something from which we all suffer to some degree or another, and yet it is so little understood by so many. It is my prayer that reading this extremely moving account of one person’s experience will lead to much greater understanding of what it is actually  like to suffer depression, and much greater empathy with those who suffer it most acutely.
 
Canon Peter Dominy
Emeritus Canon of Chichester Cathedral