Alastair Campbell is the former Communications Director at No 10. Here he writes about his mental health problems and his decision to speak openly about them.
When I started working as Tony Blair’s press secretary, I knew that the ‘skeletons’ would probably come out, so I never hid the fact I’d had a nervous breakdown. I’d always been very open about it, calling it my ‘mad period’. There’s no point pretending I wasn’t mad, because I was, probably for some time up to my breakdown, and then it took quite a while to recover. I think people are disarmed when you’re up front about it.
It happened in 1986 when I was 29. I was doing a piece on Neil Kinnock in Scotland, and ended up being arrested for my own safety. After a spell in hospital, I slowly rebuilt myself with help from family and friends, and a wonderful GP. Although I might have a few grounds for complaint about the way the media have reported on me on a few occasions, I feel in relation to mental illness, I have had a pretty fair deal from them. Not everyone can say that of course. The constant linking between mental illness and violence in the media is a problem .. the mentally ill are far more likely to be victims than perpetrators of violence.
I do understand people’s reservations about being open. People worry their job or their prospects might be badly affected. And it would take quite a brave politician to stand up at election time and say oh by the way, I sometimes hear voices, or I tend to get addicted to things, or I may sometimes go missing with depression. But I do think it would help if people in positions of leadership and authority were more open. When I first got involved with the Time to Change campaign, we did a report called ‘A World Without’ in which we focussed on great historical figures who had what today would be defined as mental illnesses. Churchill with his black dog. Abraham Lincoln was routinely described as melancholic. Marie Curie. Charles Darwin. Florence Nightingale. Imagine if any of those people had not been able to do the work they did. But even today people with mental health problems will tell you that sometimes the stigma and the discrimination it leads to are worse than the symptoms.
One of the reasons I’ve wanted to be open about it is that I know from my own recovery that it is possible to take strength and hope from the experience of others who’ve gone to what feels like hell and back and lived to tell the tale. I have written a novel, All In The Mind, based in part on my experiences of depression and psychosis, and have also done a documentary, Cracking Up, which can be seen on my website and I have been really pleased with the response to both. Barely a day has passed since when someone has not come up to me and said that something that happened to me, or one of the characters in the book, was something they could relate to directly because of their own experience, or that of a relative or friend. If it is true that One in Four will directly suffer a mental health problem, that means we all know someone who will, even if we don’t ourselves. If anything I think One in Four is an underestimate.
I think attitudes are changing slowly and I hope I have been able to help in that. I am very glad that the Young Fabians have decided to take up this topic. I know that a lot of young people are struggling with mental health issues, and although my advice to them would be to be open and honest, the truth is stigma and discrimination still exist, and openness might be the thing that leads to someone being rejected. But I still feel it is the best approach. We need to get to a situation where people can feel as open about saying they have mental health issues as they are about saying they have cancer or a broken leg. We are a long way off that, but I am confident that one day we will get there. It is in many ways the last great taboo. But racism, sexism, homophobia have all been challenged and to a great extent eroded because of people taking up the issues and campaigning on them.
We can do the same for the stigma and taboo surrounding mental illness, and I wish Good Luck to the Young Fabians in their role in that great cause.
Tags: Alastair Campbell, mental health
What was the reason for his break down, whether Blair loved him or whether Gordon would love him. God help us from people like this.
You want to know about mental health come and ask me, I was active and then I was in a wheelchair, I now live on benefits of £76 a week. and yes I’ve had periods of mental health break down especially when i look at paying the bills, hypocrite.
Hi Robert,
Thank you for your comment. As you may know, one if four people are affected by mental health problems at some point in their life, the causes for this are so manifold and often hard to explain. We do believe that it is important to provide more support for people who are affected by this illness, which is why we are taking this subject up. Why don’t you come along next time we are holding a debate on this issue?
Best wishes,
Marie
Equalities Officer
Young Fabian Executive Committee
I cannot afford to come to your meetings, but I know when somebody is trying it on.
I was depressed after being told I would never walk again, I took a razor and cut my wrist so deep my hand was hanging by skin only. when I went to hospital I fought with the doctor not to live. I still fight like this each and every day.
The fact is mental health patients do not go on long nice holiday laying on beaches in sunny resorts, because most of us are on benefits of £65 a week.
try getting better on benefits that low.
if you want to talk about health try somebody who is not a spina doctor.
Hi Robert,
Getting more people to talk about their experiences and what the realities of situations like yours actually are is exactly why we are trying to bring about this debate.
Is it just low benefits or are there other changes that are needed?
If you’re a Young Fabian and want to get your views across, along with what changes you think we need to see, then why not submit a blog post for consideration?
Have a think and maybe drop me a line about it?
Best wishes,
Vincenzo Rampulla
Membership Development Officer
e: vrampulla(at)youngfabians.org.uk
in third world countries, mental health is never a priority.:-,