The Last Leg's Josh Widdicombe opens up about antidepressants to challenge "huge stigma"
The Last Leg and Parenting Hell's host Josh Widdicombe has opened up about using antidepressants after his anxiety and panic attacks led him to drink himself to sleep.
Reflecting on his struggles last year while speaking on the latest episode of his Parenting Hell podcast, Josh said: "To give you an idea of what kind of place I was in then, I was drinking to get to sleep, I was having panic attacks."
Co-host Rob Beckett, said: "You were stretched beyond belief at home and at work, you'd committed to too many things, you were trying to please too many people at the same time, which ultimately led to you not enjoying life, and feeling stressed and fed up."
Josh, who has previously spoken before on the podcast about his struggles managing his workload and anxiety added: "I got to the point where I couldn't sleep, I was having panic attacks before I got into bed in the evening. It's been a long old journey.
"The whole thing was so absurd, there was this moment when I was on The Last Leg Christmas Special. I was dressed as Kermit the Frog, you know when Kermit the Frog is Bob Cratchit [from A Muppets Christmas Carol], I was feeling quite down at this point. Not even related to the outfit.
"I thought 'I've never been so depressed'."
During their discussion, both podcast hosts laughed, with Josh explaining shortly afterwards: "It was a chemical imbalance. You've got to laugh about it because it's f**king absurd."
Josh explained that he went to see a GP about his mental health struggles and lack of sleep, and was put on antidepressants: "It was the best thing that's ever happened to me. It sounds really scary, it sounds like admitting you've got a problem, and you can't fix it yourself."
He continued: "They put me on Escitalopram... the reason I think it’s important to talk about this, is because I was almost embarrassed by being on them. You get two weeks of side effects as you went onto them."
Josh later explained he went to his friend's 40th birthday party and was really nervous about going and having to explain why he wasn't drinking alcohol. He told friends he was on medication, and when they asked what kind, he said: "Oh, I've been having bad anxiety, so I'm on Escitalopram" before revealing: "Both of them were on it as well."
He continued: "That’s when I first realised how prevalent it is, that people have had to go on this, and it's not talked about at all. One in six adults in the UK is on or has been on antidepressants. There is a huge stigma attached."
Josh concluded by explaining that medication isn't the only route for those seeking treatment for anxiety or depression. "Everyone works differently," he said.
He added: "I was trying to change my life, while I was also having panic attacks to get to sleep. It was like trying to change a tyre while going down the motorway. This has just given me a chance to alter my life choices and the way I live my life, and if I want to, I can phase the stuff out."
You can listen to the full chat with Josh about his mental health struggles on Parenting Hell, which is available exclusively on Spotify.
If you've been affected by the issues raised in this story, organisations who can offer support include the NHS, Samaritans on 116 123 or Mind on 0300 123 3393). Readers in the US are encouraged to visit mentalhealth.gov.
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