Doncaster man pens candid account of struggle with depression in bid to help others

Craig Hallam, aged 32, of Scawsby, has penned Down Days as an honest account of his battle with depression in the hope of encouraging more people to share their stories.

Down Days is available to read for free as an e-book and an accompanying blog online at www.downdays.org. Craig has had more than 1000 readers already just weeks after launching the website.

He said: “It is free for anyone to access and hopefully find either camaraderie or simply a better understanding of mental health issues. It is also a place for people to share their own stories, that we might gather a wealth of knowledge and experience not from ‘experts’ but from people who actually struggle with depression every day.

“The comments and emails that I have received from all over the world have been both comforting and insightful.”

Craig, who worked as a nurse for 10 years and is now a learning support assistant at Doncaster College, said he has suffered from depression for six years.

He has previously had a gothic novel, called Greaveburn, published a few years ago.

He said: “It’s about learning to manage the condition and showing that simply because I have depression, that doesn’t make me any less of a person.

“I still have two degrees, work in a job helping others, and write fiction in my spare time. My message to anyone with a similar condition is that they are not alone, and to be unashamed.

“There is no weakness in striving to overcome a mental health condition.”