One of the main reasons for me creating my site was to raise awareness of the conditions that affected Steve. If I can make a difference to just one person's life with this information then this site will be worth the time and effort it has taken - and is still taking - to create (this section has been and continues to be one of the most difficult things I've ever had to do).
The last two years of Steve's life were a huge struggle - not only did he have stress and depression to contend with (difficult enough for anyone to cope with at the best of times), but he also had a serious alcohol problem to deal with, too.
Some insensitive people (and yes, I've come across many of them!) would think that this was a sign of Steve being weak, but I believe that Steve was a strong and courageous person to battle against it as long as he did. People who think otherwise have clearly been fortunate enough never to know how much stress and depression can wreck your life... add to that an alcohol problem and it really doesn't bear thinking about how difficult life for Steve was. My own life is tough enough battling just depression and stress and the ignorance around it, so I hate to imagine how difficult things were for Steve with an alcohol addiction thrown into the equation.
I'm not impressed with the clinical treatment Steve received for the problems he had to deal with. From what I've read over the years, the help he received was totally inadequate, with one doctor even proclaiming to him that 'his condition, whatever it was, was incurable'. Something that, in my humble opinion, should never be said to anyone sensitive suffering with depression, and certainly not said to anyone suffering from depression and an alcohol problem as badly as Steve was.
As far as I can make out, they were too busy trying to treat him in rehab for his alcohol problem rather than giving equal focus to his depression. I'm no medical professional, but as far as I can see that was a huge mistake as I believe his alcohol problem was fuelled by his depression. He needed counselling for his depression because the useless medication he'd been prescribed clearly wasn't working. (In a quarter of cases of depression, AD medication does not work, and counselling is the best form of treatment). I believe Steve needed a large amount of counselling, but it seems that none of his doctors thought that. Luckily for sufferers today, the treatment of these disorders is improving all the time, but it didn't arrive early enough for Steve.
It's been said by people in interviews that Steve suffered from manic depression, but I'm not so sure. From the research I've done into manic depression and the medication used to treat it (including side effects and who the medication is suitable to be prescribed to) I often question whether his depression was of this order. From my own personal experiences of battling 'reactive' depression, if there is enough stress in place it's possible that it can trigger mood swings of great intensity.
I've said this elsewhere on my site, but I'll say it here again here: The most important thing you can have when suffering from any of these conditions is love and support. I hate to think about how much he went through - even almost 12 years (at the time of writing this) after Steve's sad passing, it's still so painful and upsetting. Please don't ever give up on someone if they're suffering as Steve did - they need your support more than ever.
Disclaimer: The information in the GetInformed: Mind Over Matter section of my site is NOT intended to replace qualified medical advice. If you are suffering from depression or an alcohol problem PLEASE seek help from a medical professional.