Man Reveals His 'Double Life' With Depression in Moving Facebook Video

If you’ve ever had to “come out” to family or friends about having depression, you know the experience can be nerve-wracking. You might feel uneasy about their potential reaction — Will they get it? Will they think it’s just an excuse? Will I regret telling them?

Well, Doug Leddin from Ireland opened up about his depression in one of the most public ways you can —  in a intimate Facebook video that has already been shared more than 11,000 times.

“It’s not often I post something too serious on social media and I’m not sure this is the right thing to do and to be honest I’m nervous as hell writing this status,” he wrote. “But I hope it helps others and I hope you can share this if you think it will help someone.”

He said he’s wanted to get this off his chest for 10 years.

In the video, he talks about how depression has forced him to live a “double life.”

“The life that my family, my friends, my colleagues, my teammates see. But then there’s the life that I see and that I live and that I feel…I’m living a different life inside. I’m living the life of someone who suffers immensely with depression,” he says in the video.

He said what’s scarier than the darkness is the fear that others won’t understand. He hopes his video will encourage others to open up without fear.

Watch the whole moving video below: