Dapto woman Renee Harding breaking down the stigma of complex mental health

They weren't physical, but they felt isolating. She had a constant racing mind, felt misunderstood by everybody, and experienced suicidal thoughts almost daily.

"For about three years, I woke up nearly everyday feeling suicidal," the Dapto woman said.

"I wondered if I was the only person in the world who felt like that. I just didn't understand it at the time."

When it became too much, Renee was admitted to hospital in her early twenties. It ended up saving her life.

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Renee was assisted by a social worker in hospital, who directed her to Flourish Australia's (known as RichmondPRA at the time) supported living accommodation in Austinmer.

"That's really when my recovery journey started," she said.

Renee also finally had an answer, which led her to a solution to managing the symptoms that haunted her.

She was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and was prescribed medication.

"I was put on a community treatment order where I was required to have my medication or I would be sent back to hospital," she said.

"I started taking my medication and about three or four weeks later, I was just doing something and it clicked in my head that I hadn't felt suicidal for a few weeks."

Schizoaffective disorder is a combination of two mental illnesses - schizophrenia and a mood disorder, like bipolar.

It impacts about 70,200 Australians who experience the disorder at some point in their life, according to national mental health charity SANE Australia.

Bipolar is a mental health condition which features pronounced mood swings, and affects 568,000 Australians, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Symptoms of schizoafective disorder vary from person to person.

For Renee, before treatment, it manifested in anxious and suicidal thoughts. Others can experience hallucinations or delusions.

"I'm very fortunate I don't hear voices, because a lot of others do," Renee said.

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Now at 41 years old, Renee sits in the brightly coloured Flourish Australia office where she works as a team coordinator peer specialist.

She manages her disorder and is the best she has ever been.

"I have a great psychiatrists I've been seeing for 12 years, I take my medication every morning, and have monthly blood tests," she said.

"It's just a part of my lifestyle that's become the norm for me now."

Many of us are touched by anxiety or depression at some point in our lives, but today, more 800,000 Australians are living with a diagnosis of a complex mental health issue, according to research by Flourish Australia.

Complex mental illnesses are described as severe, enduring or episodic and includes schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, severe anxiety or severe depression.

It doesn't discriminate and can impact anyone, Renee said. Despite this, she believes there is still stigma surrounding conversations about complex mental health.

"Something we need to stop doing is labelling people as a schizophrenic," she said. "People are more than just their mental illness."

Renee has just finished her peer supervision training, qualifying her to offer reflective conversations with people as someone with lived experience with mental illness.

It's her mission to break down the stigma of mental illness, and be the person others can turn to without judgement.

"I would have loved to have a peer worker available in hospital with me," Renee said.

"It would have brought a lot more sense to what I was experiencing at the time by having someone to relate to.

"But I'm here now because I want to be able to be that person for someone who might be in hospital or in the community, and be there for them without judgement."

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