Living With Depression

On May 20th 2017 Mark put the following status on his facebook page:
   

I was pleased that he did this status as its been something he wanted to do for a while. What I am about to say about it all may or may not shock you but I find it incredibly hard sometimes to have the dark cloud, big dog, or whatever its known as to you existing in my home and family. I find it tough going trying to explain to a little boy why daddy is now not coming out with us or why daddy is sad and upset and wants to be on his own. It tears me up inside when I see Mark deflated and feeling like a failure. I hate to see him beat himself up and not been able to make it right.
Alex is such a smart, loving child, who always tries to put a smile back on Marks face if its a down day, but watching this both fills me with pride at what a beautifully caring boy he is but also it breaks my heart to see Mark so low.
Alot of stigma is placed on depression and what it can entail but without coming across as harsh , for me I feel that people forget that it can take over and even sometimes destroy families. There have been days where its been a battle to get Mark to function etc, and these days are hard. It can be a very lonely place for all as individuals whether you are the sufferer or the family member.  I'm not trying to detract from how hard life is for Mark, as I have experienced some depression myself (post natal ) and that was so hard for me, especially when most days I didn't want to leave the house, but even after going through it myself I often find living it day in day out can be draining and sometimes I feel like shutting the door and locking out the world.
I am grateful for the family and close friends who are there not only for Mark but also for me and Alex. Without them, sometimes I think I would have given up.
I am so very thankful for the good days that we do get and the fun and adventure we have on these days, and I am extremely hopeful that the future holds more good days and less bad. Depression will NOT win and will NOT destroy our family. We are fighters and we have a support network around us that we know we can turn to and we thank you.