Councillor admits it is time to open up about his mental health

CHARLIE Malone has a high profile as a local councillor and a lecturer at Abertay University.

Despite his outwardly successful image, however, he admits to being tormented by mental health issues – including an “overbearing sense of failure”.

A former shop steward at Timex, Charlie has been through some tough times and he hopes that, by opening up, he might encourage others to realise they are not alone – and seek potentially vital help.

“Talking about your own mental health is not easy,” he said.

“In fact, when you are suffering from a condition such as anxiety or depression, talking about your problems can seem like the most difficult thing in the world.

“Yet, if you are suffering from poor mental health, you are encouraged to ‘open up’ and talk to others.

“Talking about your problems is widely regarded as being the first step to recovery. So what is stopping us?

“For me, my job as a senior lecturer at Abertay University has made talking about my mental health just that little bit harder.

“Not because I think I would not be supported by the university or colleagues but because I’m in a position where I need to project competence and authority on a daily basis.

“Opening up to my students and being vulnerable is not something that is in the job description.”

Nevertheless, Charlie insists now is the right time to speak out and raise awareness.

“Now I’m approaching the end of my career, I feel it’s time to start talking about my struggles with my mental health,” he continued.

“That’s why, after some encouragement and persuasion from a colleague, I decided to accept an offer to host an online talk about my experience to mark Mental Health Awareness Week 2022 at Abertay.

“Talking about my problems in such a public way is a daunting prospect.

“However, I hope that by speaking out, I might encourage other people who are suffering to start talking about their own struggles and seek help.”

Being the son of two psychiatric nurses meant mental health was frequently a topic of conversation at the dinner table when Charlie was growing up.

At weekends he volunteered at the psychiatric hospital his parents worked at.

“You could argue that I was exposed to the perils of ill mental health very early on,” Charlie explained.

“In my home, there definitely wasn’t that stigma around mental health that you hear about elsewhere.

“Some might say that then begs the question: if my family were so open about mental health, why have I struggled with it for most of my life?

“To answer that, I should first explain a bit about my condition.

“I was first diagnosed with generalised anxiety disorder, or GAD, when I was 21. GAD manifests as excessive and exaggerated worry about everyday life events.

“It’s a tendency to catastrophise absolutely everything for no obvious reason.

“Part of my illness also involves an overbearing sense of failure which sees me constantly pushing myself to do more, to work harder, to be better.”

Charlie admits this has made it hard to admit that something is wrong,

“As well as GAD I’ve had brushes with PTSD (following a life-threatening illness a few years ago) and depression.

“I’ve never really spoken openly about these illnesses, not even to professionals. Work has been my escape.

“All my adult life I’ve been a workaholic. And I think some people thought this was driven by ambition or a desire to be successful.

“The truth is, my addiction to my work is borne out of an intrinsic need to keep busy and concentrate on absolutely anything other than myself or my problems.”

Fast forward to 2017 and that desire to focus on others is what led Charlie to get involved in local politics and stand for election

to Dundee City Council. “I was a shop steward at Timex for a number of years and was latterly chair of the strike committee during the dispute,” he said.

“It was a really tough time for the workers. And I credit that dispute with igniting in me a need to help others.

“I hope that by opening up about my own experience it demonstrates that mental illness doesn’t discriminate.

“Mental illness can affect anyone. I’m living proof, no matter how well I’ve hidden it. Now that I’m coming to the final chapter in my career, there is the temptation to let the mask slip, to show the world the ‘real’ Charlie, warts and all.

“If doing so helps demonstrate the importance of talking about mental illness, then I’ll consider that a job well done.”

Councillor Charlie Malone hopes to encourage others to also open up about their problems.

Charlie Malone was diagnosed in his 20s.