The true story of how ABC broadcaster Craig Hamilton stared down his demons to survive a mental breakdown.
'Broken Open' is the story of ABC sports broadcaster Craig Hamilton and how, on the eve of the biggest undertaking of his career, he suffered a complete mental breakdown.
Instead of covering the Sydney Olympics, Craig was confined to a padded cell in a mental institution and later diagnosed as suffering bipolar disorder. This catastrophe not only denied Craig his place at the Games, it almost ruined his career and turned his role as devoted husband and father into a living hell.
From his initial shocking breakdown to his gradual and eventual recovery, Craig sifts through the evidence to identify the warning signs that might have told him he was in serious trouble. This trail identifies a family man who could be so typical of any of us. It illustrates that mental illness is not something that just happens to other people. It is an issue much closer to home and touches many more lives than we could ever imagine.
In this book we meet and empathise with some of his fellow travellers inside a mental institution, share the insights of the professionals and realise that there are treatments and remedies that allow sufferers to lead normal lives. Bipolar disorder used to be called manic depression and affects one in 50 Australians. It affects men and women equally and is becoming more commonly diagnosed in young adults. One in five sufferers suicides as their moods swing from hyperactivity to severe depression.
Craig has a message for all of us and, in particular, Australian men: Don't let your pride or stubbornness prevent you reaching out for help when you need it. In his working role as a journalist and broadcaster he has witnessed promising lives snuffed out by the onset of mental disorder and the failure to seek proper treatment.
'Broken Open' is a personal plea for society to shake off the stigma dogging mental health and to bring the subject out into the clear light of day. But it's much more than that - a gripping read about one man's personal journey back from the brink of hell.
