Barry - Flagging Depression: A Practical Guide

I would like to start by thanking my editor Sean OKeeffe and the staff of Liberties Press for personally overseeing the editing of my ramblings and turning it into the book it now is. I also thank Caroline Lambe of Liberties for her invaluable help with media and marketing.

I would like to say a special thank you to Paul Kelly of Console for taking the time out of his very busy schedule to write a foreword for this book. He is a very special person whose response to personal experiences of suicide was to create that wonderful organisation Console, which does so much invaluable work to help those bereaved by suicide. They should be supported by us all in every way possible.

I would also like to thank Dr Muiris Houston for taking the time to review the text, and for his friendship and support. His reports in the excellent Irish Times Health Plus supplement are respected by us all. And I include a special word of thanks to Carol Hunt of the Sunday Independent for her kind review and constant support. We are lucky to have journalists of this quality in Ireland. I would also like to say thank you to Maria Carmody for taking time out of her busy schedule to review the text. I send warm thanks to Cathy Kelly for her support throughout the years. I would like to thank my old friend Dr Tony Bates for his support and encouragement. His work with young people with the organisation Headstrong deserves our full support; it is a blueprint of what youth mental health services should be all about.

I am, as always, indebted to my friend and colleague Enda Murphy (and his wife Mei), creator of the Raggy Doll concept, for his invaluable assistance. I also include my Raggy Doll GP course colleagues, who make up a special group which is interested in bringing a new vision on mental health to Ireland. I would like to mention all at Aware, of which I am a director: our chairman David, Dominic, Annette and the other hard-working members of the board and the many wonderful volunteers throughout the country.

To my loyal and devoted staff at 5 Leland Place Fiona, Carmel, Susan, and my practice nurse Brenda for all their help and support throughout the period of writing this book. I am delighted to welcome my new partner and colleague Dr Ruairi Hanley, who has shared my workload. I am indeed fortunate to have such a wonderful team at my back.

To my mother-in-law Ciss Lahart (Eyrecourt), who continues to show great courage in coping with significant illness, for her help and support down through the years, and to all our friends and relatives (particularly my brothers Gerald and Kevin), who have backed this project. To those who are not here to share it with us: my mum, who lost her battle with dementia, my brother David, my dad Harry, my father-in-law Nicholas, and my spirit guide Sister Kieran Saunders MMM.

I say a special thanks to my son Daniel, whose superb diagrams adorn this and all my other books, and to my son Joseph, who is advancing his career in Germany, and Sue, who shares in his life. To my daughter Lara, her husband Hans and baby Ciaran, who has lit up all our lives. Brenda and I are very proud grandparents!

As always, I reserve my biggest thank you for my wife Brenda, whose love, friendship, support, encouragement, and particularly patience have made this book possible. You are my light in the darkness, and truly a soulmate. Mo ghra, mo chroi.