Scott Morrison has opened up about his struggles with anxiety and depression for the first time, revealing he was on medication during his time in office.
The former prime minister of Australia, who resigned from politics in February this year, gave an exclusive interview with The Australian, saying his “debilitating and agonising” anxiety “built up” over time.
Morrison cited the “unrelenting and callous brutality of politics” and “media attacks” as the reason for his mental health battles, especially whilst dealing with key policy decisions including China, the COVID-19 pandemic and the AUKUS nuclear submarine deal.
“You’re flesh and blood and so it would start to impact you,” Morrison told The Australian.
Morrison said he approached his doctor for help, who was surprised the former PM “lasted as long as I had before seeking help”. He said without medication and professional help, “serious depression would have manifested”.
“As a politician, I know this goes with the territory. That’s not a complaint or even an accusation. It’s just reality,” Morrison said.
“Politicians are not made of stone, yet they’re often treated as though they are, including each other.”
‘Staff is up, I am walking towards the sea’
Scott Morrison opening up about his mental health battles sets a good standard not just for politicians in general, but especially for men, to normalise talking about these very real problems. He is expected to dive deeper into his mental health battles in his upcoming memoir, which will be released in Australia on May 21.
The book, titled Plans For Your Good: A Prime Minister’s Testimony of God’s Faithfulness, is reportedly less of a political memoir and more “pastoral encouragement”, reflecting on how God and his Christian faith helped guide him throughout his 16-year political career and four-year leadership of Australia.
“Most politicians write books about what they’ve done; this story is about what I believe God has done for me,” Morrison told The Australian on his memoir.
But Morrison’s relationship with God as the leader of this country may have gone beyond simply putting his faith into a higher power. In fact, it may have landed somewhere into thinking he is the higher power.
Today, The Australian reported that Morrison sent a text message to his group of pastor friends on the morning of the election.
“Staff is up, I am walking towards the sea,” Morrison reportedly wrote.
The text is in reference to the Christian narrative of Moses, who, as the story goes, famously parted the red sea and walked the Israelites through to escape slavery from the Egyptians.
So, where was Scott Morrison leading Australians as he was sworn in as prime minister? I’ll leave that for you to decide.
In any case, it’s no secret Morrison has a close relationship with God. When he was elected as prime minister of Australia in 2019, he is remembered for declaring to the crowd at his election party: “I have always believed in miracles.”
Even at his concession speech three years later, when he lost the 2022 federal election to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, he said: “I still believe in miracles.”
As a devout Christian, he has told his fellow believers that trusting in God is a safer bet than trusting in governments.
“As important as they might be – believe me, I’ve worked in it, and they are important – but as someone who has been in it, if you are putting your faith in those things like I put my faith in the lord, you are making a mistake,” Morrison said.
Of course, he said this after he was voted out as Prime Minister of Australia.