No, clinical depression can’t be cured by a little fresh air

NORMALLY I wouldn’t squander my column on the obnoxious drivel spouted by pathological attentionseeker Katie Hopkins but her hurtful comments on depression are so chronically wide of the mark I do not want to ignore them.

Hopkins has seized upon the revelation that Andreas Lubitz, the co- pilot who deliberately flew Germanwings Flight 9525 into a mountainside, was being treated for recurrent depression, to launch a cruel and unfounded attack upon all those struggling with the debilitating illness.

Hopkins brands depression “the holy grail of illnesses”, calls it “the ultimate passport to selfobsession”, urges sufferers to “get a grip, people” and adds: “People with depression do not need a doctor and a bottle of something that rattles. They need a pair of running shoes and fresh air.”

Her intentionally unkind words show not only a chronic lack of empathy but also an obtuse and monumental ignorance.

If neither Hopkins nor those she loves have been stricken by a depression that knocks the ground from under them, robs them of their joie de vivre, ambition and sense of self, sends them spiralling downwards into sadness and isolation, she and they are supremely fortunate.

Clinical depression is a mental illness. It cannot be cured with “fresh air”, going for a run, willpower or a hearty dose of moral fibre. It is neither imaginary nor indulgent. Those beset by it would trade all they own to be free of the “black dog” that squats upon their existence.

I am all in favour of free speech but I detest those who disseminate malicious nonsense and give not a fig for those whose feelings they destroy along the way.