AS someone who has suffered depression for the last 10 years, Susie Royse gladly took up the opportunity to spread awareness of the condition.

A box office receptionist at Didcot’s Cornerstone Arts Centre, Ms Royse answered an invitation to appear in a new £17,500 poster campaign about mental health.

The posters use county people to advertise a helpline by charity Oxfordshire Mind which gives information about help available.

Images shot by Oxford photographer Asia Bochenek represent anger, sadness, loneliness, happiness and anxiety and will go up in bus stops, cinema washrooms and Oxford and Didcot train stations.

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Ms Royse features on a poster reading: “We all... get anxious, but if it’s all the time, get in touch”.

She said her chronic depression began about 10 years ago when her physical health worsened as a result of complications from type one diabetes.

The 45-year-old has little peripheral vision and expects to lose her sight.

Bicester Advertiser:

  • Posters also featuring Neil, 82, from Abingdon

Ms Royse, who lives in Didcot, said: “Mental health problems are so common these days but there is a stigma attached and this campaign is making it so people can see it affects absolutely everyone.”

She said: “There is a fine line sometimes between feeling a bit low and maybe being clinically depressed. Hopefully this campaign will make people realise it could happen to them and maybe they need to talk to someone.”

Counselling, medication through the NHS and a “really good support network” of loved ones and support from work help her a great deal, she said.

The All Saints Court resident said: “I have never felt ashamed and I have always been very open about it. It is something I happen to have but I am fully functioning in every other way.”

Public discussion of the condition by celebrities like Stephen Fry is, she hopes, tackling any stigma.

Bicester Advertiser:

  • A poster featuring Eshita, 29, from Oxford, will be appearing at Oxford and Didcot railway stations, bus stops and cinema washrooms to try to tackle the stigma surrounding mental illness and help people access support and treatment 

She said: “My particular depression is feeling like I was losing control over everything because my eyesight has been affected.”

The campaign has been co-ordinated by Oxfordshire County Council.

Cabinet member for public health Hilary Hibbert-Biles said: “We wanted to take a positive step towards removing the stigma around seeking help when things are more difficult than normal, and are delighted to have local people involved in getting the message out across Oxfordshire.”

Oxfordshire Mind chief executive Patrick Taylor added: “Seeking help can be a vital first step on the road to recovery.”

Visit oxfordshire.gov.uk/mental health or call Oxfordshire Mind on 01865 247788 from 9.30am to 4.30pm, Monday to Friday.

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