Brooks Hunter was diagnosed with depression at 16. That marked the start of a long journey through medication, misdiagnoses, and hospitalization, until he was finally diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder. A disorder he describes as one that makes it painful just to exist.
Brooks has been on a dozen medications in search of the right combination that would relieve his symptoms. Even after hospitalization, he never felt the way he wanted to feel, and he tells a cautionary tale of what happens when one decides to deal with their illness on their own, without medication.
After starting a cognitive behavioural therapy program, and finding the right medical treatment, Brooks' life dramatically turned around. In 2001, doctors changed Brooks' diagnosis to bipolar after his schizoaffective symptoms subsided. Today, he is a successful film and television director. His first feature film, Kenneyville, was released in 2011. This video is part of TVO's Mental Health Matters series - an in-depth exploration of the state of mental health in our society.