Steve

Age at interview: 31
Age at diagnosis: 30
Brief Outline: Steve has experienced bouts of depression since his teens but didn’t acknowledge it or seek help until recently. Over the past 10 years he has sometimes used alcohol and/or drugs to try to mask the problem, but has reached a point in his life when he would like to get things more under control. He was prescribed citalopram two months prior to the interview, and is on a waiting list for counselling.
Background: Steve has done a lot of work in the field of hospitality and currently works for a charity. He lives with his boyfriend. Ethnic background: White British
More about me...
Steve has had experienced bouts of depression since he was a teenager. He attended a military boarding school and found life difficult when his sexuality was called into question. Friends speculated that he was gay, and he was bullied and taunted. As an amiable and social young man Steve started using alcohol and recreational drugs in social situations to boost his confidence which helped him to cover up his real feelings. As an adult Steve has worked in hospitality - running bars and cafes and living a very socially orientated life and he used alcohol to avoid thinking about his problems.
‘It’s a highly stressful job…. You’re doing 12 hour days…. Shifts…. So it’s the perfect job for people who don’t want to deal with their own problems or their own health because you get a lot out of it…. But you go home and everyone has a bottle of wine after they’ve done a 12 hour shift…..’
More recently Steve started to think about how his behavior had begun to have an impact on other people around him and he felt he needed to sort out his life. He moved back to live with his parents and for a while tried to cut out drinking alcohol and smoking cannabis. After a time though, he drifted back to using alcohol again, and recently hit a low point when a job he’d applied for fell through. A friend suggested to him that his drinking was becoming a worry and suggested he should go and see the GP. The GP prescribed citalopram. He was also referred to the community mental health team for support and is waiting to be offered counselling. At the time of the interview Steve had been taking citalopram for a few months said he was starting to feel more able to cope. He feels that antidepressants don’t solve people’s problems, but they can help by making it easier to think more positively. He was disappointed to find that there was a long waiting list for referral for talking therapy, as he pointed out ‘I think 18 weeks is a ridiculous time to wait, when you realise that someone has a problem, regardless of how big…… that’s annoying…….it can feel a bit like you’ve been ‘diagnosed and then left’.
Steve is feeling in a more positive mindset at the current time and is keen to capitalise on his improved mood and make a start with therapy. He has also recently begun a new relationship, and says sometimes it can feel difficult to work out whether the improvement in his mood is down to the antidepressants or to the change in his personal circumstances.
‘It’s a highly stressful job…. You’re doing 12 hour days…. Shifts…. So it’s the perfect job for people who don’t want to deal with their own problems or their own health because you get a lot out of it…. But you go home and everyone has a bottle of wine after they’ve done a 12 hour shift…..’
More recently Steve started to think about how his behavior had begun to have an impact on other people around him and he felt he needed to sort out his life. He moved back to live with his parents and for a while tried to cut out drinking alcohol and smoking cannabis. After a time though, he drifted back to using alcohol again, and recently hit a low point when a job he’d applied for fell through. A friend suggested to him that his drinking was becoming a worry and suggested he should go and see the GP. The GP prescribed citalopram. He was also referred to the community mental health team for support and is waiting to be offered counselling. At the time of the interview Steve had been taking citalopram for a few months said he was starting to feel more able to cope. He feels that antidepressants don’t solve people’s problems, but they can help by making it easier to think more positively. He was disappointed to find that there was a long waiting list for referral for talking therapy, as he pointed out ‘I think 18 weeks is a ridiculous time to wait, when you realise that someone has a problem, regardless of how big…… that’s annoying…….it can feel a bit like you’ve been ‘diagnosed and then left’.
Steve is feeling in a more positive mindset at the current time and is keen to capitalise on his improved mood and make a start with therapy. He has also recently begun a new relationship, and says sometimes it can feel difficult to work out whether the improvement in his mood is down to the antidepressants or to the change in his personal circumstances.
Steve saw his GP and told her how he’d been feeling. She...
Steve saw his GP and told her how he’d been feeling. She...
Steve hoped that an antidepressant might help him to think more...
Steve hoped that an antidepressant might help him to think more...
Shift your mood a bit?
Yes just to help you turn things so I could actually think straight, so if I could think straight then I could work out what it is I need and then do something about it hopefully.
Steve’s understanding is that an antidepressant increases...
Steve’s understanding is that an antidepressant increases...
Steve didn’t realise his stomach cramps were probably side...
Steve didn’t realise his stomach cramps were probably side...
Steve didn’t realise his stomach cramps may have been caused...
Steve didn’t realise his stomach cramps may have been caused...
When the first month’s supply of citalopram ran out Steve...
When the first month’s supply of citalopram ran out Steve...
Steve felt let down when he was told he’d have to wait 18...
Steve felt let down when he was told he’d have to wait 18...
But when it’s affecting you maybe that changes how you feel about it?
It’s just that, just, I mean I’m ready to do this kind of now and everything seems to be set up for it to happen now and the drugs are kind of working, you know, and the citalopram seems to be working, I’m in a good relationship that’s just getting to a point where I either fix it or it’s probably not going to happen and I don’t want that to happen. But the actual therapy counselling side of it I can’t have for 18 weeks.