Let’s stop stigma – support better mental health

Ruby Wax explains how she was inspired to start Black Dog Tribe

Four years and six months ago, I had the tsunami of all depressions where I had to be institutionalized and couldn’t leave a chair for five months. Depression doesn’t care if you’re well known or live in a mud hut or what colour you are, it just loves everyone.

When I recovered, my friend Judith Owen and I decided to write a show called, “Live from the Priory” which we performed at the actual Priory. We then toured NHS institutions for the following two years, which we loved and if you can make a catatonic laugh you’re half way to Broadway.

I only came out about having depression because they took a photo of me for Comic Relief. I thought it was going to be a small picture but no, I saw my enlarged photo, captioned that I had depression in every tube station I went in. I hurled myself in front of one and then saw another and hurled and then another going down the escalator. I just had to give up there were so many, so I came out of the closet and became the poster girl for mental illness.

Read More Ruby's Welcome Video