"I am under treatment but it is not affecting my ability to deliver state budgets," Mr Foley told reporters today. "I am not bipolar, I am not manic. It is a treatable, manageable condition."

Mr Foley, often portrayed as the hard man of the SA Labor Party, said he had sought help from national depression organisation beyondblue.

Mr Foley admitted in a weekend newspaper interview that his personal life had, at times, had a negative impact on his work. His Liberal opposition counterpart, Steven Griffiths, today said the comment was a "concerning admission given the responsibility he has".

Mr Foley today said Mr Griffiths owed an apology to depression sufferers. "If the Liberals want to call me loony, so be it," he said. "Mr Griffiths' comments, while personally offensive, actually send the opposite message that (head of beyondblue) Jeff Kennett and beyondblue have been trying to get across. "It is not an admission of failure to say you suffer from depression."-AAP