ABC Radio's
Craig Hamilton

Craig Hamilton is a
broadcaster with ABC
Radio who has worked on
National Rugby League
games for the last eight seasons.

On the eve of the biggest undertaking of his career -
the Sydney Olympics -
Craig suffered a mental breakdown which almost
ruined his career and
turned his role as
devoted husband and
father into a living hell.

Craig Hamilton ON mental health

In September 2000 I was hospitalised for two weeks after suffering a psychotic episode at Broadmeadow Railway Station in Newcastle.

The subsequent diagnosis from the team at the James Fletcher Hospital was Bipolar 1 Disorder.

It will be five years in September since that traumatic time and I have had time to reflect on a great deal about the illness and the best way to manage it and stay well.

Bipolar Disorder, like so many other mental illnesses has a stigma associated with it that makes management of the condition even more difficult than it should be. For many people with Bipolar disorder , managing the illness and coming to terms with the sometimes severe mood swings is something managed in secrecy,away from the prying eyes of even close friends and family.

My experience with the illness in 2000 was so traumatic and debilitating that apon recovery I felt almost duty bound to speak up about Bipolar Disorder and attempt to decrease the level of stigma around this illness.

Since 2000 I have been very well. That needs to be stated for the record. I'm still working for ABC Radio in Newcastle , who were my employers back in 2000 when the world that I knew went pear shaped for a couple of months.

I am never complacent about this illness because I have seen the devastation Bipolar can wreak when out of control, so I am constantly aware of the way I live my life. Stress levels, sleep patterns, medication,relaxation and exercise are all part of a management strategy that I have put in place to make sure that the events of 2000 are never repeated.

This illness effects more people in Australia and around the world than many people realise. When Bipolar Disorder makes the news , it's usually a bad news story.

In recent times we have seen again the havoc Bipolar Disorder can create with the suicide rate for those affected with the illness still something like 1 in 5. The suicide rate in Australia in a disgrace and by simply ignoring the issue or makng out that it is someone else's problem isn't going to get people who are suffering from a mental illness that can be treated the help they need.

Last year I published my story in a book called "Broken Open" with friend and journalist Neil Jameson. The story was more than anything a plea to society to drop the stigma associated with mental illness and make it easier for those that needed help to be able to reach out and get it.

You see, there are two groups of people in Australia:

  1. those that believe they will never be affected by mental illness and
  2. those that are in the grip of a mental illness and struggling to deal with it

I reckon I can speak on behalf of both groups because I have been in both groups.

If you had said to me prior to 2000 , who would be the LAST person in the world who could be so badly depressed that getting out of bed in the morning was impossible and that level of depression would lead to thoughts of suicide, I would have said me. Yet there I was, in the deepest , blackest , darkest place I have ever been in my life with basically no real hope of getting out of there.

I now know so much more about this thing called depression, this thing called mania , bipolar disorder, chemical imbalance in the brain etc. Knowledge really is power.

So many people are suffering with a variety of mental illnesses in our community , yet do not receive the help they need because of inadeqate Government funding for Mental Health , which translates in to inadequate resources for those in need. Ask anyone who has experienced a severe mental illness and you will find that the family is so often the first and last port of call when it comes to support. Those without great friends, family and work support networks often fall through the cracks and end up on the street.

If you think Australia doesn't have a crisis in the area of mental health...then try and book yourself in to see a Psychatrist. If you're lucky the first appointment available will be in 6 to 8 weeks. Not much consolation if you need to see someone urgently.

Today , I manage Bipolar Disorder with self-awareness,medication, yoga ,regular exercise and a holistic approach to staying fit and healthy. My self-awareness is simply more fined tuned today to my stress levels and when I need to pull back, slow down and rest , I do it - that simple.

When Neil Jameson and I were working on "Broken Open" in 2004 , we both hoped the book would not only help to further de-stigmatise mental illness but provide some guidelines for those people and their families who were going to walk the same path that I have.

Today we both look back on the book with a great deal of satisfaction. It is helping others but there is still much more to do.

Craig Hamilton
May 2005