As the first female Prime Minister, Julia Gillard faced enormous pressure from pretty much all sides.
In the face of negative headlines and regular attacks on social media, Gillard has revealed she had bouts of anxiety and had to take care of her mental health.
“As I looked at very negative media headlines – dreadful things on social media – and I did consciously think, I’ve got some choices to make now about how much I let of this into my head,” Gillard told Lateline.
“As I looked at very negative media headlines – dreadful things on social media – and I did consciously think, I’ve got some choices to make now about how much I let of this into my head,” Gillard said.
“How much of this poison gets in my head and stays with me? I’ve got some choices about how much I brood, or whether I go to bed and sleep soundly. I made some very deliberate choices, so I wouldn’t let it get in my head, I would sleep soundly at night.”
Commentary on Gillard’s person, more so than her leadership, would sink to confronting lows.
A former Liberal staffer said she should be “kicked to death” on national television, she was constantly questioned about her relationship with partner Tim Mathieson and a Liberal party fundraiser served “Julia Gillard quail” with “small breasts, huge thighs and big red box”.
It’s because of this effect on her mental health, as well as her current role of chair at beyondblue, that the former PM is warning people against referring to Donald Trump as mental in a glib sense, insisting that his odd Twitter behaviour could be cause for genuine concern.
“I know that some people in the US, some commentators are not proffering that analysis by way of insult, they’re actually saying it because they are genuinely concerned,” Gillard told ABC’s Lateline.
“From the outside I think it is very difficult to judge someone else’s mental health … so I think there’s some need for caution here.
“But I do think if President Trump continues with some of the tweeting etcetera that we’ve seen, that this will be in the dialogue.”
