Dawson opens up about breakdown
TV personality Charlotte Dawson spoke about her breakdown following an onslaught of abuse by internet trolls on 60 Minutes last night.
Speaking publicly for the first time since her hospitalization in the early hours of Thursday morning, Dawson told of how death threats posted to her Twitter account pushed her to the edge.
She said she was "very drunk" and remembered little of her attempt to take her own life.
"I was extremely distraught," she said.
"It just triggered that feeling of helplessness, and yeah, they got to me."
But despite handing the internet trolls "a win", she vowed to continue her stance against online bullying.
"So they have had a win. They have had a win and I congratulate them for that, if that's what they wanted, but I'm not dead yet," she said.
Dawson will continue to recover and is taking a break from her Twitter account, @MsCharlotteD, which has been inactive since she posted the tweet "you win x" early Thursday morning.
Last week Dawson appeared on A Current Affair and The Project after she named and shamed a Twitter troll, an employee of Monash University, who had been harassing Ms Dawson and one of her followers.
Dawson's appearance on the news programs triggered a flood of abuse on Twitter, including the hash tag #diecharlotte.
She told interviewer Tara Brown she has suffered from depression in the past and that the Twitter comments were overwhelming.
"Sometimes, especially if people are wanting you to kill yourself, and you're somebody who has previously tried to end your life, it's very, very easy to feel like that's exactly what you want to do," she said.
She also said police are now investigating the online threats.
"I'd like to see them charged," Dawson said.
"I don't think encouraging people to end their lives is funny or clever."
For support and advice in a personal crisis contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or www.lifeline.org.au.
