“If this can happen to me, it can happen to anyone” – were the words of ABC broadcaster Craig Hamilton after experiencing a psychotic episode and severe depression 13 years ago.
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It was the eve of the Sydney Olympic Games where he had been assigned to work as a broadcaster and was waiting for a train to go to work.
Craig, who mainly covers rugby league, rugby union and cricket events at international level, experienced a psychotic episode, suffered serious depression for six to seven months and was having suicidal thoughts.
He was later diagnosed with bipolar 1 disorder.
He was 37 years old.
Craig spent 12 days in hospital and, since his recovery that took up to a year, has become one of Australia’s most high profile speakers on mental health and lifestyle.
This year the Hilltops Suicide Prevention Network, who aim to arrange an event every year as a way to help broaden people’s education about and strategies for suicide prevention, has invited Craig to Young speak to the community.
This Wednesday, July 24 at Young Town Hall from 5.30pm, Craig will be raising awareness of mental health with the goal of destigmatising the condition and reinforcing with the community that depression is very common in society.
He said with the right information, people can recover and recover well.
Craig strongly agrees that people’s general belief of mental health issues is that it will never happen to them, just like he used to.
“If someone was to say to me when I was 36 ‘you’re going to be in a very bad way in 12 months’ I would have said ‘no way’,” he said.
“My experience has taught me not to be complacent.”
Craig has been speaking publically about mental health around the country for nine years following requests when he released his autobiography Broken Open in 2004.
In July 2012 he released his second book A Better Life.
“Mental health at its worst can lead to suicide – that’s the worst case scenario,” Craig said.
“[We need to teach people] to think they can get through this because it will turn and let families know there are a lot of things we can do to improve our mental health,” he said.
Craig said there will be a lot of different things people will walk away with from the evening.
“But the main things are, a. you can recover, b. mental health issues are very common and you need to share with others when you’re struggling,” he said.
