A COUNCILLOR from Inverclyde who is bidding to become First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s number two has bravely revealed his struggle with depression.

Chris McEleny, who is in the running for the SNP deputy leadership, has spoken out about his mental health issues to raise awareness.

The 30-year-old Gourock representative has revealed that he was diagnosed with depression last year and says it’s had a profound impact on his life.

Mr McEleny has shot through the ranks since being elected in 2012, 
going on to become the Inverclyde Council SNP group leader before 
announcing his candidacy for the party’s deputy position earlier this year.

The former Notre Dame High pupil says his diagnosis came as a shock.

Councillor McEleny said: “Of course it was a difficult thing to grasp at first.

"During a leave of absence last year, political opponents would attack me in the press for being off sick, but at the same time being seen in public ‘appearing fine’.

“Friends who would have rushed to write something stupid on a cast from a football injury would stand in awkward silence when I told them why I was off for a while.

“If the truth be told, I would have behaved in exactly the same way.

“Thanks to my own personal experience, I now have a better understanding – not of how people I know with mental health conditions feel, but certainly what it feels like living with it.”

Now the SNP deputy leader hopeful is calling for more action to support people with mental health problems.

Mr McEleny said: “Before I was diagnosed as having depression last year, it was something I hadn’t spent enough time learning about.

“I thought I was a good local councillor dealing with all the issues people contacted me about, but since last year I’ve realised I didn’t spend enough time concentrating on the important issues that people weren’t contacting me about.

“Granted, we have made great strides in removing the stigma of mental health – but we still have a long way to go.

“Around one in four of us will experience a mental illness at some point in our lives. 

“When this happens, having access to the right treatment and support is vital.

“Mental health services perhaps wouldn’t top the list of areas we prioritise in manifestos, but in the face of budget pressures we must do our upmost to protect these vital services.”