A mental health documentary featuring the inspirational story of West Lothian Courier sports reporter Callum Carson is being released today to coincide with See Me’s Time to Talk Day.
‘I’m Still Here’ is the story of Callum’s battle with mental health issues and how working in the sports industry and becoming a sports reporter helped him deal with his struggles.
Although the traumatic events of Callum’s past linger in his memory, his love of sport and strength of character has enabled him to overcome those obstacles and manage his illness to forge a successful career as a sports journalist.
The film was funded and supported by See Me Scotland and Glasgow Film in 2016 and premiered at the Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival that year.
‘I’m Still Here’ has since been shown at festivals across Europe and was named Best Documentary winner at the Short to the Point film festival in Bucharest in 2017.
In the film, Callum speaks candidly about battling depression from the age of 12 and his struggles with traumatic events in his childhood as well as being the victim of rape at the age of 19 and the subsequent court case.
But with the support of those around him, and his love of sport, he has been able to follow his dream as a sports journalist.
Callum said: “The idea for the film was to show that there’s always hope for a brighter future, no matter how difficult things might be right now.
“It took me many years to figure out I needed help and then many years working with that help to figure out how I could live a full and happy life.
“There’s always support out there and it’s always good to talk. There’s professional help, you can chat to your friends and family or people you trust. It can make all the difference.
“For me, I had to evaluate every aspect of my life and figure out if it was having a positive or negative impact and then adapt around that.
“From a young age, sport has always been the one aspect of life where I’ve felt able to be myself and working within the world of sport and sports media has given me an opportunity to make the most out of my life.
“My mental health battle means that there are limitations around what I can allow my body and mind to do and living around those limitations is all part of the learning process.
“It can be a very challenging and tough journey for anyone struggling with their mental health, but there’s always help out there if you need it.”
You can watch the film here
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