By Elliott West
“I wouldn’t wish what you have got on your worst enemy”.
Katie’s night nurse.
Introduction
I am always keen to promote mental health issues, having had my struggles in my early life, dealing with my mum’s bipolar disorder that led to numerous episodes, being sectioned and ultimately dying at 54 from bowel and liver cancer in 2001. So I was touched when I saw an interview with the singer Katie Melua on Sky News where she talked about her mental health struggles. Katie who had been on the crest of a fame wave with hit albums Call Off the Search, Piece by Piece and Pictures, amassing a personal fortune of £18 million and was the seventh-richest musician under the age of 30 in the 2008 Sunday Times Rich List. Yet despite this success, she suddenly disappeared, an absence that I just thought was down to wanting a break from the industry but recent revelations by the singer show that was not the case.
The Darkness
In February 2011, Katie had a nervous breakdown, a psychosis that gripped her in an uncontrollable vice, making her feel that she was living out an apocalyptic film. It led to her being hospitalised with around-the-clock supervision for six weeks and given anti-depressants. During the horrific period, this episode came out of the blue with no known family history of mental illness. Yet the alarm bells started to ring when Meula could no longer function. She just wanted to sit in a chair and stare into space. In hindsight, this may have been due to overworking and her clear commitment to making music.
The Saviour
During this period, Melua describes how she was out of it, not unconscious but suffering terrible paranoia, not able to sleep for days and suffering from horrific nightmares when she did. Yet her saving grace during this two-year road to recovery was her psychiatrist. A man with whom she instantly found an affinity when she saw an electric guitar in his office and subsequently found out that he loved music. Katie describes this man as an “amazing doctor”, who helped her escape this crippling darkness and see the light at the end of the tunnel. A tragedy was followed with joy when Melua gave birth to her son Sandro. If it had been for this dedicated man, this may have never happened as the control of the darkness would have been too great.
Tragedy Strikes!
Yet despite all this good work, Katie was shocked to hear this psychiatrist fell ill last year with the same mental illness and went on to commit suicide as a result. So upset was she by the news that Katie felt the need to honour this great man’s memory. Melua has just released her new single, 14 Windows from the album Love and Money and has decided to donate all proceeds of the single to The Royal Medical Benevolent Fund in his memory. A UK charity that helps doctors and medical students. A fitting tribute by this 38-year-old Georgian/British singer.
