My name is Samantha C Weaver and I am someone who suffered for years with anxiety, depression, and related stress and I am not embarrassed or ashamed to talk about it. I live in the UK and at aged 27yrs, am now in recovery from severe clinical depression, an illness which I was diagnosed with at the age of 14yrs.  I have experienced first-hand what it is like to suffer with this debilitating illness and know how hard it can be to recover. ... http://www.squidoo.com/savingsamantha Fri, 29 Aug 2008 23:52:31 -0600 FeedCreator 1.7.2 Wed, 28 Mar 2007 12:58:04 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/savingsamantha My name is Samantha C Weaver and I am someone who suffered for years with anxiety, depression, and related stress and I am not embarrassed or ashamed to talk about it. I live in the UK and at aged 27yrs, am now in recovery from severe clinical depression, an illness which I was diagnosed with at the age of 14yrs.  I have experienced first-hand what it is like to suffer with this debilitating illness and know how hard it can be to recover.  I struggled as a child growing up within a family that understood nothing but pain, manipulation, and fear. As an adult, anxiety and depression were my constant companions. I understand the pain, embarrassment and fear that anxiety and depression can cause. I know that constant edgy feeling that something bad is going to happen. I know what it is like to be tortured by your thoughts, and the fear and concern of possible dependency on medication to get you  through. I went to doctors, counsellors, psychiatrists and therapists then finally hospital and was then able to help myself. Now fully recovered, for a period of 4 years, it is my mission in life to help people do what I have done...find complete and total recovery. Many factors have contributed towards my illness. I have taken numerous types of anti-depressants, (SSRI's) and other medications over the years.  I have received intense Counselling, 1:1 Therapy and Group Therapy and have also admitted myself to private psychiatric hospital (The Cardinal Clinic) as an in-patient for a month and an out-patient for a further two months. I have tried to gain a perspective on my illness.  I have spent hours researching Depression as in-depth as possible by way of reading numerous self-help books and looking up my condition on the Internet.  I have also spoken to numerous individuals who have been unfortunate to have suffered with depression at some stage of their lives. I am also featured on an award winning medical Website called DIPEx, (Database of Individual Patient Experiences). (DP15) I have been interviewed for several newspaper articles, magazines, Radio Stations and more recently I appeared on ITV's This Morning and Channel 5 news discussing my experience and recovery from Depression.  I am also an and Expert Author at Ezine Articles.  My autobiography "Saving Samantha: A Young Woman's Escape from Childhood Hell" (ISBN: 1401910300) was published by HayHouse Publishers UK Apr-2006.  Finally I have enrolled with the Institute of Counselling in a further attempt to help others with depression. My personal website is: http://www.samanthaweaver.com Wed, 28 Mar 2007 12:58:04 -0600