First Lady: support from husband, public helped during ordeal

BOSTON -- First Lady Diane Patrick, speaking Thursday after her first public appearance since exhaustion and depression forced her to reduce her workload, said the support of her husband and hundreds of cards, notes and prayers from well-wishers helped her recover.

"They confirmed that a lot of love and support and prayers were coming my way," Diane Patrick said, standing beside Gov. Deval Patrick after a Statehouse event focusing on victim advocacy.

Diane Patrick, 55, said that among the cards and notes were personal stories of others who have struggled with depression.

Diane Patrick, who returned to her job as a partner at Boston law firm of Ropes & Gray early this month, said she hoped her own battle might help demystify the disease and encourage others to seek support and medical treatment, both of which were key to her recovery.

"I hope that by the governor and my speaking out about depression and not feeling embarrassed, ... that we can perhaps help to remove the stigma attached to it," she said. "People are afraid to get treatment I think sometimes and talk about it and confront it honestly because there is such a stigma attached to it and I hope we can do, in some small way, something about that."

The governor said he was thankful for his wife's recovery.

"There's a bounce in my step," he said. "She is feeling better. We both feel blessed by that."

On March 10, Patrick announced that his wife was being treated for depression, though he did not release details of her illness or treatments. At the time, he said he would work a reduced schedule.

In a letter released after she returned to her law firm, Diane Patrick said she was exhausted after her husband's campaign for governor and overwhelmed by the demands of her new role as First Lady.

The announcement about his wife came when the governor was under sharp criticism for a series of political missteps, including his purchase of pricey drapes and furnishings for his office and his hiring of a campaign supporter as a well-paid appointments secretary for his wife.

(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)