self loathing
Chris Packham flooded with support revealing heartbreaking struggle with syndrome that made him ‘loathe himself’
Chris also spoke about how his love of nature has helped him manage the disorder
CHRIS Packham has been flooded with support after revealing his struggle with Asperger's Syndrome made him 'loathe himself'.
The Springwatch presenter was diagnosed with the disorder, which is a form of autism, in his 40s.
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Appearing on Good Morning Britain, Chris, 62, opened up about how he has dealt with the condition during his life.
He told host Charlotte Hawkins: "I can only tell you about my own experience and my childhood.
"I grew up in the 60s and 70s when the condition wasn’t widely known, certainly by my parents and teachers.
"By the time I’d got to the beginning of my teens, certainly into the early part of my 20s, mental health issues were quite considerable.
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"I loathed myself, I thought that I was broken and clearly I was in a lesser cohort than most other people.”
Chris elaborated that he used to blame himself for everything that would go wrong, but finally became aware of the condition in the 1990s while dating a healthcare professional.
He added: "I’m much more confident to talk about my needs and my incapacities and things that I can do better.
“I’ll put myself forward if there’s something I am enabled to do by the condition and I will be far more frank and honest about the disabling aspects.”
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Chris also spoke about how his love of nature has helped him with managing the condition.
He said: "I went as a child on my own, I thought I was going because everything I was interested in or fascinated by lived there, all the wildlife.
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“In fact, now what I recognise with the benefit of hindsight is one of the reasons I was going there was to be solitary.
“So there was no one to compare myself with, in those spaces I was ‘normal’ as it were.
"But then, of course, the sensory side of it is one of the traits of autism and we all experience it in different ways, for me it’s a visual sense.”
Help for mental health
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support.
The following are free to contact and confidential:
- Samaritans, , 116 123, [email protected]
- CALM (the leading movement against suicide in men) , 0800 585 858
- Papyrus (prevention of young suicide), 0800 068 41 41
- Shout (for support of all mental health) , text 85258 to start a conversation
Mind,, provide information about types of mental health problems and where to get help for them. Email [email protected] or call the infoline on 0300 123 3393 (UK landline calls are charged at local rates, and charges from mobile phones will vary).
run a free, confidential parents helpline on 0808 802 5544 for parents or carers worried about how a child or young person is feeling or behaving. The website has a chat option too.
Rethink Mental Illness, , gives advice and information service offers practical advice on a wide range of topics such as The Mental Health Act, social care, welfare benefits, and carers rights. Use its website or call 0300 5000 927 (calls are charged at your local rate).
Heads Together, , is the a mental health initiative spearheaded by The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales.
Good Morning Britain airs weekdays from 6am on ITV1.
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