HANGING from the monkey bars at just eleven years old, former NSW north west resident Elliot Waters had a disturbing thought.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
"I thought, I didn't want to live a life where I was nervous all the time," he said.
"Now I study psychology I would think 'this kid has anxiety obviously', but it wasn't until I was 18 that I got a diagnosis.
"I'm 30 now and back then I didn't know anything was wrong, I thought life just wasn't that good and you had to be nervous and unhappy all the time."
Mental illness affects one in two people in their lifetime, but research shows 65 per cent of people don't seek help.
To start a conversation, the Black Dog Institute offers free 45-minute presentations to community groups to break down the stigma of mental illness and give people the confidence to talk about their issues.
Presented by community members like Mr Waters, the sessions are given by people with personal experience of mental illness.
IN OTHER NEWS:
Mr Waters has given Breaking Down Depression presentations for the last six years.
"We offer information about diagnostics, remedies to get help and how to talk to people about it," he said.
"The real key is putting a face to it, being able to talk about it because people are scared of these subjects but you don't have to be."
The presentations are about recognising symptoms to managing concerning thoughts, as well as knowledge and practical tools to benefit the community.
Mr Waters said he's still going through his mental health journey, but there's a lot of experience he draws upon in his presentations.
"It's important I find some purpose and meaning in why this has happened to me and to make a positive out of character building experience to help others not have to go through what I did," he said.
Black Dog Institute has delivered more than 440 presentations.