DEPRESSION BATTLE
James Middleton opens up
The Duchess of Cambridge’s younger brother James Middleton has bravely opened up about his fight with depression.
James (31) wrote in an editorial in British newspaper The Daily Mail that his mental health deteriorated in 2016, when he was paralysed by inertia, and struggled to talk to his increasingly worried friends and family.
“I couldn’t respond to the simplest message, so I didn’t open my emails. I couldn’t communicate, even with those I loved best – my family and close friends.”
He explained that while aware he lives a privileged life, “it did not make me immune to depression. It is tricky to describe the condition. It is not merely sadness. It is an illness; a cancer of the mind.”
James also spoke frankly about other struggles, including being recently diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and being severely dyslexic.
He said the diagnosis helped him to understand why he found school and aspects of managing his company so problematic.
Kate (37) was a driving force in James speaking out. “I feel compelled to talk about it openly because this is precisely what my brother-in-law Prince William, my sister Catherine and Prince Harry are advocating through their mental health charity, Heads Together. They believe we can only tackle the stigma associated with mental illness if we have the courage to change the national conversation, to expel its negative associations. So it wouldn’t be honest to suppress my story.”
James is now feeling better thanks to psychiatric treatment and taking time off work to focus on his mental health.There’s also a new love in his life – French financial analyst Alizee
Thevenet (29).
According to Alizee’s dad, the pair are enjoying each other’s company.
“James is a very charming man.
I know Alizee is very happy.”