When Paul McGregor was 18, his father took his own life. He had been treated for depression and sectioned for a while after a previous attempt, but Paul and his family were still totally unprepared. From his father’s first trip to the doctor to his death was only six months. “My dad was very good at wearing a mask and showing us that he was OK when he wasn’t,” said Paul.
The family struggled with its grief and Paul spiralled until, at 21, he managed to talk to someone. “It took me a good two or three years to talk about it with my friends, and then seven or eight years before I could talk about it publicly.” Talking and being open is something we could all do more of, he says. “Vulnerability allows other people to feel safe to be vulnerable themselves.” Paul set up Every Mind at Work to bring mental health conversations into the workplace. He is running eight marathons in eight days to raise money for young people’s mental health – you can read more about how you can join him for some of the run here.
Leave a comment!