One evening I was on the way home and I very nearly crashed my car. I was driving at about 60mph on the motorway, on a route I took almost every day, but I all I was thinking about was my job because I was juggling five or six projects. I went to change lanes and almost hit someone else - I was clearly in the wrong.

That night I didn’t sleep – I realised things had to change. The next day I couldn’t face work because I felt like it had almost cost me my life.

I went to see my GP and that was when I did my PHQ – the score was really high. Alarmingly high, actually.

At the Doing Well clinic I used the workbooks and met up with the therapist. It was really good for me to have someone who wasn’t work related or family to talk to. It was like getting a neutral opinion of my life. It’s helped me understand how I was feeling and what led to it.

You know, before this I never really believed in depression. I actually had a close friend who suffered from it but I would be like ‘oh just pull yourself together’. It sounds terrible thinking about it now, but that is what I used to think. I didn’t see it as a real thing I’d just think people were being self indulgent.

I took two and a half months off work and since then I’ve actually changed my job. I was completely honest with my new employer at the interview and they’ve been great about it. Things have been going really well, I’m not taking on too much, and I’m realising there is more to life than just work.

"Knowing your PHQ is as important as knowing your weight."