Two Brighton authors on '˜making friends' with depression

The two friends from Brighton have co-written a book on depression, hoping their experiences can help others.

Sarah Rayner and Kate Harrison, two successful authors living in the city, became friends after joining local group Beach Hut writers. They found that not only did they share writing in common, but they had both suffered with depression.

Talking to others who understood depression was something the pair felt had helped them in the past, which is why they wanted to write the book. They were joined by another friend, Dr Patrick Fitzgerald, who brought a medical aspect to the book.

Sarah said: “We have tried to make it very easy for people to understand. It needs to be manageable. We know what it’s like to be in that state of mind.”

They hope the book will be a ‘friend’ to those quietly suffering with depression, or for the friends and family of someone who is struggling.

Kate said everyone’s depression was personal: “We have quite different personalities and experiences. It could happen to anybody. When we started writing the book we found a lot was quite different.”

With their own experiences, and tips on therapy and medication, the authors hope they can help readers to come to terms with their depression.

Making Friends With Depression is free to download on Amazon today (Friday, February 10) and tomorrow (Saturday, February 11) here.