A conversation can change your life and save your life.
That was a key message from Craig Hamilton, the keynote speaker at a mental health initiative held at Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club on Wednesday.
Kayla Parker from Port of Newcastle and Marty Adnum from Out of the Square co-founded the initiative, titled Everyone Has A Story, in 2020.
It brings together representatives from various business sectors to hear stories of people's mental health challenges, and shows videos on a big screen of people "opening up about their struggles in life".
"The goal is to normalise that everyone has their own struggles," Ms Parker said.
Mr Hamilton, the former ABC radio broadcaster, said "my story is a story of hope and recovery".
Mr Hamilton, who lives with bipolar disorder and stars in the documentary The Promise on Stan, urged people struggling with their mental health to seek help.
"We're our own worst enemies when it comes to our health. That has to change," he said.
He struggled for months with depression, lack of sleep, not eating, and negative and suicidal thoughts before seeking help.
"I finally got some help from a GP," he said.
The GP told him he had "acute clinical depression, it's serious, we need to treat it, but you'll get better".
"The thing I needed to hear was 'you'll get better'."
This was affirmed by another speaker, who shared the tragic loss of her daughter and father to health conditions, and others close to her from suicide.
She sought help and "can now see a future that looks bright".
Another speaker was Daniel Angus, a psychologist and deputy commissioner at the NSW Mental Health Commission.
He told the story of self-harming teenage humans helping self-harming teenage parrots at a recovery centre in Sydney.
The parrots had a strong attachment to their owners but, when they went to school or work, the parrots would "ruminate, become distressed and pluck their feathers".
Parallels between the young people and young parrots meant they "adopted each other".
This sense of connection and purpose was an example of how to improve mental health in ways beyond the standard concepts of seeing psychologists and taking medicine.
He said humans had overcome adversity for thousands of years, but primitive people didn't have antidepressants.
Seeing a psychologist could be expensive and involve long waiting lists, but "there are lots we can do that don't cost anything".
Nonetheless, he said it was "life-affirming for people to share their stories".
Drew McIntyre was among those to do so at the event.
Mr McIntyre is going through challenges due to a separation, living alone and working in Indonesia as the only Westerner at his workplace.
"I got sick over there and couldn't come good. The doctor said a lot of it is stress-related," he said, adding that "your physical health is tied in with your mental health".
He also helps several people going through their own challenges.
"I'm helping them, but they probably don't realise they're helping me," he said.
This included a former workmate going through rehab for alcohol dependence.
"He was drinking two bottles of vodka straight a day with no food. His body broke down and he nearly died," he said.
"He's been in rehab for six weeks. He's going good and is back on track."
Another speaker, Liz Newton, noted that "relationships can make you sick, but good healthy relationships can help you heal".
"Life is shit sometimes. You'll have grief, loss, sorrow, trauma."
She shared her personal tips with a dash of wit: "social connection, trying to eat anything other than hot chips and a bit of exercise".
