A BRIGHTON man has spoken about his long-standing battle with mental health issues.

Davey Shields, 33, said the illness has severely affected every aspect of his life.

But working out in the gym has helped him find the structure and routine to manage his depression and ultimately save his life.

Davey, who is originally from Glasgow, was first diagnosed with depression and severe anxiety eight years ago after suffering from serious issues of self-doubt and self-worth.

These thoughts were made worse by food and body issues, combined with working in a very stressful TV and media environment.

Some of his friends introduced him to a local gym and he started to train three times a week.

He found it helped to keep him much calmer and more resilient and also helped him to bounce back from bad episodes of depression.

He said: “It was becoming apparent that my anxieties were increasing and my self-doubt was growing.

“I stopped sleeping, couldn’t stop shaking and kept breaking down in tears.

“One day my friend took me to the GP and I was signed off work.

“It was at that point I knew I needed to get control of the situation, so I contacted a gym.

“I was honest in saying that I’d been signed off work with stress and depression and that training at the gym helped me deal with these issues.”

However, it hasn’t been plain sailing and due to growing pressure at work, Davey’s mental health sharply declined in August 2016.

He began to experience suicidal thoughts and stopped going to the gym altogether.

He said: “After hitting a very low point I started taking different medication and a month later I returned to training.

“It’s been hard.”

It’s now been over a year since Davey first started working out at The Gym Brighton in Madeira Drive.

He claims he is able to track his mental health with how much he’s been working out.

He said: “The best thing is, improvement or not, I never have to worry about perfection because the work out is not about abs or biceps, it’s about keeping me mentally healthy.”

He has set up his own podcast called MenTalkHealthUK with his friend Damian Friel, who has Tourette’s syndrome.

The podcast aims to lead discussions on the complex issues surrounding mental health.

Davey and Damian are starting to make links with charities like Mind, Time to Change and Mind Out in England, and SAMH and SeeMe in Scotland.