By Whirlwind|2015-09-28T15:02:57+12:00October 1st, 2014|Depression, Whirlwind Stories|0 Comments
I grew up in a normal Samoan family in Auckland in the 1950s and 60s, living in a State house, going to church on Sunday, doing all the faeus (chores) and getting hidings. It seemed like everyone was allowed to give me a hiding – at home, at church, at school, at family occasions – […]
By Whirlwind|2015-09-28T15:02:57+12:00September 15th, 2014|Depression, Whirlwind Stories|0 Comments
Mike Chunn is best known for his role as bass player and founding member of seminal New Zealand 70’s band Split Enz. Along with school friends Brian (Tim) Finn and Phil Judd, Chunn formed a band that it is widely regarded as the first to really put New Zealand popular music on the map.
After […]
By Whirlwind|2015-09-28T15:02:57+12:00September 1st, 2014|Depression, Whirlwind Stories|0 Comments
Imagine standing on a jetty, either side and in front there is a mirror of calm water disappearing into the distance. When you leave school there are many paths like this, but as you get older they become few. I am 50 now. One of these paths led me into marriage and raising a family […]
By Whirlwind|2015-09-28T15:02:57+12:00August 15th, 2014|Depression, Whirlwind Stories|0 Comments
“The real problem is in the hearts and minds of men”- “it is ok to ask for help”
I am a 46 yr old of maori descent and of course am proud to be maori except for the fact that we top a couple of statistics in society that are not good – those being domestic […]
By Whirlwind|2015-09-28T15:02:57+12:00August 1st, 2014|Depression, Whirlwind Stories|0 Comments
I’m using my mind and my thoughts, to deal with bipolar. One day I hope I can reach out to young people out there in time, so they don’t have to go through what I went through. This was written when I was about 21. Now I’m 28 ? living, learning and helping.
When I was […]
By Whirlwind|2015-09-28T15:02:57+12:00July 1st, 2014|Depression, Whirlwind Stories|0 Comments
Stephen Fry is one of the most recognisable faces on television. An intellectual, an actor, a journalist, a gay man, a film-maker, a comedian and a presenter, he is well loved the world over for his warmth, honesty, sense of humour and disarming humility.
Stephen Fry is perhaps best remembered for his comedy show “A bit […]
By Whirlwind|2015-09-28T15:02:57+12:00June 15th, 2014|Depression, Whirlwind Stories|0 Comments
When did I start to fall apart?
When I kept on taking psychedelic drugs, even though I hated most of my trips? When I carried on drinking until the bottom of the bottle arrived, with no accompanying revelation? When I had my first breakdown? Or when I chose to ignore it? When I developed chaotically fluctuating […]
By Whirlwind|2015-09-28T15:02:57+12:00June 1st, 2014|Depression, Whirlwind Stories|0 Comments
How often does a story of depression start with the words…’everything was going well in my life’ ?
I was partner in an Architectural practice, had two lovely kids, a lovely wife, a nice home in an idyllic Cornish town by the sea.
For some inexplicable reason, as the millennium drew to a close, I decided that […]
By Whirlwind|2015-09-28T15:02:57+12:00May 15th, 2014|Depression, Whirlwind Stories|0 Comments
Ala’imalo Lua Maynard
The message I got growing up as a Samoan boy was that violence was necessary to discipline and to get things done. I carried that message into future relationships which all seemed to end prematurely. It took a while before I decided to seek help. Today my relationships with loved ones have improved and I?m now learning […]
By Whirlwind|2015-09-28T15:02:57+12:00May 1st, 2014|Depression, Whirlwind Stories|0 Comments
I never thought of myself as someone who had a mental health problem. I grew up during a time when it was not talked about, or even recognised. And if you did feel a bit down you were told to just ‘shake it off’ and carry on. One certainly didn’t discuss it with others.
But about […]