The death of television presenter Greg Boyed last month had everyone talking, followed closely by the news that 668 people died by suspected suicide in New Zealand from July 2017-June 2018 – the highest it has been this century.

We talked about it here in the Sun Media office. We talked about how depression had touched our lives, either directly or indirectly. I talked about my experience of having post-natal depression 10 years ago.

It's good that we're all talking about it, because it seems talking about it is one of the few ways we can help those who suffer from it.

I watched a television interview with comedian and mental health awareness campaigner Mike King who told us he wasn't surprised no one saw Greg's death coming.

"One of the biggest problems we have is this myth there are signs," he told The AM Show. "If someone is down in the dumps, they're in the corner, they're put off their food, they're not sleeping - guess what? That's the flu. There are no signs. There is one sign, and one sign only - and that sign is if I tell you.”

Talk about it

Mike says the key to tackling depression is being able to talk to someone about it, without fear of being judged or rejected.

I've always talked about having post-natal depression quite openly, even when I was living with it. I spoke to several mums with older children who said they experienced post-natal depression but felt too ashamed to talk about it. Who wants to be seen as not coping at what is supposed to be one of the most special times in your life?

Dads experience post-natal depression too, which is very rarely talked about. A baby is a huge upheaval in your life and suddenly your partner is devoting all of her time to caring for your baby. That can invoke a huge sense of loss.

I self-diagnosed my depression. My natural instinct as a journalist was to research the subject, spending hours poring over websites and articles.

I had two miscarriages prior to the birth of my twins, and mothers of twins or triplets have almost twice the average risk of post-natal depression. I also experienced a life-threatening pregnancy complication.

I've never been a great sleeper and there is little sleep to be had with twins and a toddler. I'm sure it was the sleep deprivation that finally did me in.

I found an online depression test (you can find one on www.depression.org.nz) and discovered I ticked a lot of the boxes. The final straw for me was the urge to shake one of my babies when he wouldn't stop crying.

Drugs or no drugs?

My GP prescribed anti-depressants and I took them gratefully. I had two stints of them over two and a half years, the second one after coming off them too soon and having a relapse. They worked for me and I'd happily take them again if I needed to.

The use of anti-depressants is controversial and there is much criticism about over-prescription. Statistics released by the Government's drug-buying agency Pharmac in 2012 found one in 10 New Zealanders were prescribed anti-depressants.

Some studies have shown antidepressants could heighten the risk of suicide and I have interviewed people over the years who have had such experiences. Drugs affect people in different ways.

Counselling is usually offered to those with depression. I didn't go for it, only because I felt my depression was more about hormonal imbalance than anything else.

Feeling better

I did lots of other things to help me feel better though. I tried to eat well and drink less alcohol (I've let that slide over the years!) I joined an exercise class and took lots of walks in the sun (dosing up on vitamin D) with my favourite music blaring in my headphones. I slept as much as I possibly could and found a good women's multi-vitamin to top up some of the minerals I was missing from diet alone.

I remembered to be thankful for all the things in my life that were good and tried my best to live in the present. Most importantly, I hugged my family lots and kept talking to them about how I was feeling.

A lot of people have questioned why someone as talented as Greg Boyed, with seemingly everything going for him, could fall victim to the ‘black dog'.

He had a successful career, a loving family, loved his music and ran marathons. He obviously tried really hard to make himself feel better.

But the fact of the matter is, no one can get inside another person's head and know what they are feeling. It's all too easy to overthink and focus on the one thing in your life that isn't good.

What we can all do is be kind to ourselves, and each other, and keep talking.

Where to find help and support:

Need to Talk? - Call or text 1737

Lifeline - 0800 543 354

Youthline - 0800 376 633, text 234, email talk@youthline.co.nz or online chat

Samaritans - 0800 726 666

Depression Helpline - 0800 111 757

Suicide Crisis Helpline - 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO)

A HopeWalk to promote suicide prevention will be held in Tauranga on Saturday, September 8, departing Memorial Park at 1pm.