Kate encourages her brother, James Middleton amid ‘debilitating’ battle with depression

By MiNDFOOD

Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - July 5, 2018. Pippa Matthews and James Middleton arrive on Centre Court.   REUTERS/Tony O'Brien - RC17A3AFA7D0
Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - July 5, 2018. Pippa Matthews and James Middleton arrive on Centre Court. REUTERS/Tony O'Brien - RC17A3AFA7D0

James Middleton has revealed he’s been dealing with depression since 2016, now opening up about his condition thanks to big sister Kate Middleton.

James Middleton has spoken out about his diagnosis with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and depression, and how he has been dealing with his mental health over the past few years.

In an editorial published at the weekend by The Daily Mail, Middleton, 31, wrote that he’s been wrestling with symptoms that set in about two years ago, describing his inertia in communicating with family and close friends as he sank “progressively deeper into a morass of despair”.

Explaining that it was the Duchess of Cambridge who encouraged him to open up about his depression, Kate’s younger brother wrote, “Depression is only a small part of the complex jigsaw that is me. Since childhood, I’ve known I was severely dyslexic – both letters and numbers still jump and blur on the page in front of me and some days I have difficulty spelling even the simplest words. But it was only when, a year ago, I was also diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) that all the quirks and foibles of my character started to make sense.”

“I know I’m richly blessed and live a privileged life. But it did not make me immune to depression,” he went on to say. “It is tricky to describe the condition. It is not merely sadness. It is an illness, a cancer of the mind.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BsDmDYkgnko/?utm_source=ig_embed

On New Year’s Eve, Middleton posted proudly on Instagram that one of his beloved black spaniels, Ella, has been certified as a therapy pet.

“Developing a bond with an animal can help people develop a better sense of self-worth and trust, stabilise their emotions, and improve their communication, self-regulation, and socialisation skills,” he wrote.

“I am a huge believer in this & Ella has done so much for me and we look forward to sharing the love.” 

Middleton is now using his platform to speak out about mental health issues in the hopes that he can help others.

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