Kate Middleton's brother James opens up about his battle with depression

The Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton's younger brother James recently opened up about his battle with mental health.

According to Fox News, he revealed that he is suffering from both depression and anxiety, and at the darkest point in his life, Middleton even excluded himself from the family.

The 32-year-old businessman told Tatler magazine in an interview published on Monday and as cited by Fox News that when his elder sister started to date Prince William in 2003, his life changed completely and he was plunged into the public eye.

"Suddenly, and very publicly, I was being judged about whether I was a success or a failure," he said.

"That does put pressure on you because in my mind I'm doing this irrespective of my family and events that have happened," he explained.

The businessman said that his family dynamic is different than most he hopes that people distinguish him because of his work rather than his relationship with the British royal family.

"I lead a separate life to them. If there's an interest in me, great. If there's an interest in me because of them, that's different," he said.Middleton revealed that he finally told his doctor that he is not well and his words sounded him

like a valve which was full of pressure."Even saying that was an easing of the pressure. I was saying I wasn't okay when each day I'd wake up pretending I was," he explained.In January this year, Middleton first spoke about his depression and anxiety. "During the day I'd drag myself up and go to work, then just stare with glazed eyes at my computer screen, willing the hours to tick by so I could drive home again," he wrote in an op-ed piece for the Daily Mail and as reported by Fox News. "I couldn't communicate, even with those I loved best: my family and close friends.""I know I'm richly blessed and live a privileged life. But it did not make me immune to depression. It is tricky to describe the condition. It is not merely sadness. It is an illness, a cancer of the mind," he concluded.The businessman said that his pets Ella, Luna, Zulu and Mabel have helped him a lot to recover from the stress. Over the course of the journey, he also took a back seat from work and went up to the Scottish Highlands for soul-searching time alone. Middleton who is dating Alizee Thevenet, feels that things are better and happier now.

( With inputs from ANI )