Purpose
A Pivotal
ESSENTIAL Naples
Life Changing Decision
By Eilis Philpott
WINTER 2021
34
“I did not even know that depression and anxiety were something you could go to the doctor for, I just thought I was going crazy.” - Eilis Philpott
H
ow does one thrive in life, business and relationships? I want to share with you my personal experience of how I was able to thrive in life. This is about a decision I had to make many years ago. Now when I look back on my life I can see how huge and impactful this decision was on my life from that point forward. Before I share what the decision was and what I chose, let me give you a little background information. I grew up in Ireland the eldest of 9 children. I was what is now known as a child who is very sensitive, but back in Ireland in those days I was told not to be so shy. I had periods of depression which went undiagnosed and became more frequent and more severe. I was hospitalized in my early 20’s, suffering from severe depression and anxiety. I was either crying non-stop or having major panic attacks. I did not even know that depression and anxiety were something you could go to the doctor for, I just thought I was going crazy. I was diagnosed with reactionary depression which meant that I was reacting to a number of major traumatic events in my life which had occurred over the previous year. I was given a number of medications and over the period of about 3 months I started to feel better (for the first time in many years). I was sent home highly medicated and told to get on with my life. My doctor also told me that I would never be able to have a stressful job and to give up any thoughts of pursuing teaching. A few years passed and with each new stressor new medications were added to my regime. I got engaged and moved to London to be with my
fiancé. When I went to fill my prescription for all my medications, I was told that a lot of them were blacklisted in the UK and certainly should not be used in the combinations that I had been prescribed. Needless to say, the move caused a major relapse which resulted in my being admitted to a psychiatric hospital in London, where my meds were assessed and immediately changed. I was given a new diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder with Anxiety. This time however I started therapy. My therapist, Jenny, was using a technique called Transactional analysis. I started feeling and connecting what had caused me to get to this place. This was not my first time living away from Ireland. Two years previously I had moved to London with a friend. Everything seemed fine and to be going well but inside I was not doing well. My depression and anxiety were becoming unbearable and I felt I had nowhere to turn. I ended up going back to Ireland to my family home and feeling a complete failure. This second time in London was beginning to feel very familiar and I knew I could always go back home. I had been there less than a month with the new meds and having regular therapy. My body was so anxious that it would constantly be jerking and I was afraid to go anywhere or do anything. One Tuesday morning I had just started my regular therapy session when Jenny said to me, “Your session is ending now and you have until 1pm today to decide whether you are going to stay in London or go back to Ireland. If you choose to stay it will be really, really hard but worth it.”
