I consider myself a suitable case for treatment – apart from anything else, my original family has a demonstrated genetic tendency towards marked mood disorder. I am not alone, of course – one in three of the general population has suffered, or will suffer, an episode of what used to be called nervous breakdown.

My sister and our first cousin suicided after years of undiagnosed suffering – undiagnosed largely because off family fear of stigma, which exists because ‘normal’ members of society are terrified of mental illness, and of its threat to order.

Yet mental illness has always been with us, as the ancient Greek tragedies prove. Hippocrates theory of the four humours, particularly the part of it that attaches melancholia to an excess of black bile, has remained significant throughout the centuries, as has his view that what is needed in the human psyche is isonomia, a balance – none of the four humours should dominate.

Later a supernatural explanation was advanced: Christ cast out the demons from the afflicted.

The demonic explanation of mental illness persisted for centuries, during which time the clergy were the equivalent of psychotherapists.

In Greek villages they still are. In the Peloponnesian village where I live, difference of any sort is immediately suspect, and the false self is rigorously cultivated.

Mental illness is regarded with fear and loathing, and most villagers, when not denying its existence, blame its incidence on the Evil Eye.

A relevant anecdote. A handsome young shepherd named Yianni was going about his business when he sustained a severe shock – another villager, an older man, had hanged himself from the branch of an olive tree.

Yianni cut the body down, but never recovered from the experience.

I envisaged assistance from doctors, counsellors and anti-depressants, but Yianni’s family thought otherwise. Church and priests were the answer.

Unfortunately, this solution has not worked – Yianni’s health, both physical and mental, is very precarious, and his marriage broke down long ago. The damage that stigma can do!

One weapon against stigma is knowledge. In 1963 nobody knew much. Mental health was a given, so people rarely asked what recipe/circumstance/magic wand was a guarantee of what is now viewed as a fragile state of well-being.

There is, after all, a disturbingly fine line separating those who cope with their pain and those who cannot. It was in 1963 that my sister, at seventeen a star in every way, had her breakdown. She never recovered.

There must be an end to the fear
that leads to so much distress

Doctors too numerous to mention advanced their own theories. My own bitter reflection is “what does it matter now? “.

What matters is the trying – the heartfelt attempt to treat such desperate unhappiness, to recognise symptoms and to nip them in the bud, if possible.

It is also essential to acknowledge the dignity in difference, to accept the fact that some people will never conform to society’s expectations, will never be content to have a so-called conventional life.

There are multiple ways of living, and no precise moment at which mental illness starts.

What is needed is the greatest possible awareness of contributing factors. Mental health and illness are very complex issues, and parents have a weighty responsibility to build resilience in their children.

This is best encouraged via honest communication and the fostering of creativity. Creativity can be a weapon for life, enabling us to live doubly, in providing us both with escape into alternative worlds and solutions to problems in the mundane everyday one.

A ruling passion is at least some protection
against the dreadful sense of futility that is a
feature of mental illness. An active social life also
protects, which is one reason an extended family is
important in traditional societies.

Parents and friends also need to recognise warning
signs without becoming overprotective. Any change
in behaviour, any prolonged withdrawal from usual
company, any impulsive acts such as binge drinking
and eating, extravagant and irrational spending, and/or sexual promiscuity, should be monitored
very carefully, and professional help sought.

Intending suicides often seem almost recklessly
happy, for the decision has been made. They also
often start giving people presents.

Before this stage has been reached, however, the
voice can be another signal: it is often very flat and
monotonous, reflecting the terrible hollowness that
the sufferer lives with. Such severe stress affects the
vocal cords, experts have found.

Honesty, courage and open communication are
absolutely essential for mental health to be achieved
and maintained.

There must be an end to the fear that leads to so much distress being swept under a metaphorical carpet.

Gillian Bouras is an Australian writer who has been
based in Greece for 28 years. She has had eight books
published. Her most recent is No Time For Dances. This article first appeared in the on-line magazine Eureka Street on October 6. www.eurekastreet.com.au