Every day in the run up to Christmas I’m going to talk about a symptom or side effect of fibromyalgia, to give some insight into what it’s like to live with the condition.

December 16th: Depression

Mental health issues like depression and anxiety frequently coexist with fibromyalgia. Nobody knows for certain whether it‘s the fibro playing with brain chemistry or whether it’s simply the demoralising effects of a chronic illness. When I was first diagnosed and I realised that it wasn’t something I could take some medication or supplements to fix, I definitely went through a bleak period while I came to terms with things.

Despite the name, clinical depression is more than just sadness. It’s a persistent, pervasive misery and loss of motivation that affects you physically, mentally and emotionally. It lasts for a prolonged period of time – weeks or months or years – and isn’t made better by things that would typically help someone to “cheer up”.

It’s very easy to be knocked low by a long term health condition. Independence, social life, the ability to stay on top of relationships and housework and hobbies – these are all things that generally help to keep mental health on an even keel, and they’re all things that become much more difficult with fibromyalgia.