Mental Health

When the world gets older

And the nights grow colder

Dreams get darker 

When it all seems naught

And you want to stop

Just for it to get faster

1 in 16 are currently experiencing depression. One in 6 experience are currently anxiety and one in four have a mental health condition. Suicide, is the biggest killer of young Australians, more than car accidents.

These are very easy to find statistics; These are the big picture;  the numbers without the story, the illness without the words to describe them.

Everyone understands, that mental health issues whilst horrible, is not something that people should be ashamed of. Then why are we so afraid to talk about the issue.



As friends, we are taught to always be there for that mate that isn't 100%. When someone close to us is suffering, a common response is to simply be there if we're needed.

Sometimes, its not easy to ask for help from a mate. On this blog last week, Andrea wrote about Emma Watson's speech at the launch of the heforshe campaign. During the speech, Watson spoke about gender inequality using an example about how men are less likely to ask for help if needed, which is a negative product of gender inequality. Many, (particularly men) don't want to burden their friends with their own pains and problems and try to cover it up as much as possible. They don't want to show weakness, and just want to work through it themselves.

For these people, just being there when needed, is not enough. Friendships should go one step further. We should be striving to do something more. More than just simply being there if we're required.

Why should it be the person suffering to have to make the first move?

Josh, wrote a couple weeks ago, the importance of getting all the information before forming an opinion. He went further to emphasis the reliability of any information we use to form our opinions. In a lot of ways, you can never have all the information and you certainly cannot always get first hand, perfection information every time. The issue of mental health is one of them. No one is going to understand another person's mind on an issue so complex. Often we are faced with two options. One, to accept that we're not going to know everything about an issue, yet still give take the most suitable course of action. To accept our "opinionated" bias, yet have the confidence that what we know, whilst perhaps not the full picture, is enough to at least take some sort of action.

Source

The second is to simply give up. To accept we're not going to know everything and never form (and voice) our opinion. Its easier, safer and you are going to end up offending less people. For me though, its not enough for friends and family. If I was placed in that situation, I need to believe that I will always take the first. To accept the risk of offending for the chance that I can help. To suspect that a friend is not okay in terms of mental health and then deciding that its too much of a hard topic to talk about would be downright negligent.

With the death of Robbie Williams earlier this year, the issue of mental health has never been more at the forefront of people's minds. Lets take it as a chance to have that conversation with friends and family to ensure that are where they want to be. Society currently expects those suffering to ask for help when needed. This needs to change. We need to actively help them, rather than passively offering it.

~TastyJacks~

N.B. A small reason for writing this is Friday and not be seen as a hypocrite.