Battling the black dog
Website to help dads with blues
GOLD Coast radio host David “Christo’’ Christopher has opened up about his battle with depression and the new platform he’s created for dads to talk about their battle with ‘the black dog’.
The Hot Tomato breakfast host has launched the website dadswithdepression.com to help normalise mental health and provide a forum for fellow dads to talk about their issues and get tips on how to get through the dark days.
Christo says it can be a lonely spot for a dad to be working through mental health issues.
“I can only speak from my own experience with depression, but there’s a tremendous feeling of inadequacy that I’m not a good parent, not a good husband, that I’m not a good work colleague and it’s all the depression talking,” he said.
“There wasn’t any avenue that I knew of that I could go to, to discuss this with other dads.
“Women tend to have their social networks, where they can talk things through. I know this from my wife who has a great network of friends, where if she has a problem she will go to them and talk.
“Whereas guys, when they tend to get together they won’t sit there and talk about how they’re feeling depressed, so this will give them an avenue to talk, to get it out if they need to, so they’re not alone in this.”
Beyond Blue says one in eight men suffer depression at some stage in their lives and one in five experience anxiety.
Christo said the idea was born out of necessity after opening up about his depression on air and being contacted by other dads and their wives seeking help or to talk.
“I mentioned on the radio that I suffered from depression and that like a lot of people, I take medication for it,” he said.
“I don’t know what happened, but all of a sudden I started to get a bunch of messages, not only from a couple of guys asking what I took and how I dealt with it, but also from women who said they thought their husband was going through it.
“It’s an information portal. I put up positive stuff, different ideas to help people, exercises and medications and things like that.
“Importantly it’s also a place for dads to go and chat and talk about depression.’’
Although he had not set a goal for the site, he hoped it would open avenues.
Visit dadswithdepression.com