Danczuk: Child Abuse Work Caused My Depression

Simon Danczuk has revealed how campaigning against child abuse has left him depressed, suicidal and seeking help from a psychiatrist.

The Labour MP for Rochdale told Sky News his long-running battle to expose abusers has put unbearable pressure on his marriage and that he had been "drinking to mask some of the pain".

Asked if he was close to recovery Mr Danczuk replied "not at all" and said it would take "many, many months of treatment".

He said dealing with a long succession of sexual abuse cases and talking to victims had frequently made him want to cry.

After visiting an occupational health doctor after the General Election, Mr Danczuk was referred to a mental health specialist who had "given permission" for him to step back from his campaign.

The politician's split from wife Karen has been widely reported in the press and publicly played out on social media.

He declined to speak about the state of his marriage but said the effects of his campaigning had certainly played a part in its break-up.

"I have been grumpy and struggling to sleep. It has been making me moody in the mornings," he said.

"There is no doubt about it - the depression I have suffered is a result of the campaigns."

Mr Danczuk said although he was not drinking during the day, he had decided to reduce his consumption.

He blamed the long hours of his job and being away from his family for long spells for some of the difficulties he had experienced.

But he said the expectations upon MPs also had to change.

"This idea that you have got to be tough in politics ... we have got to be more realistic," he said.

"Politics has moved on but there is still an element there that you have to have a tough persona, that you have got to show people you are no pushover."

The MP said he was "completely unsure" about whether or not he would return to the campaign on behalf of child abuse victims.