Depressed Labour MP urges other sufferers to speak out

A Labour MP who has admitted he suffers from depression has urged others to speak out, according to bbc.co.uk.

John Woodcock, the representative for Barrow in Furness, in Cumbria, revealed he suffered from the illness in an article for theguardian.co.uk. He said that he had visited a doctor, who had confirmed he was clinically depressed and had given him anti-depressants to deal with his "black moods".

The MP said he wanted to go public with his illness to show people that it was nothing to be ashamed of and to encourage more people to talk about their mental health problems.

Mr Woodcock wrote: "I want to make my contribution to tackling the stigma too, not just getting treatment for depression but being prepared to talk about it. Because... the more people who are open when they suffer the sooner we will just come to view mental health problems through the same lens as physical injuries."

The 35-year-old admitted this isn't the first time has suffered from the illness, saying he took anti-depressants when he was a student as well as after his sister died, ten years ago. He furthermore said that despite his problems, he will continue to fulfil his role as an MP, for as long as his constituents want him to.