The system failed my husband. I can't let it fail my children
It's OK to not be OK. Mental health is important. Smash the stigma around mental illness.
These catchy mantras of 21st-century Western society have seen us invent RUOK Day, raise money for suicide awareness, wear ribbons to denote mental illness, and establish subtle symbolism like the semi-colon as representative of mental health survival.
The impact of this positive messaging regarding mental health on social and cultural norms - particularly over the last decade - have gone a long way to reshaping our collective perspective on mental wellbeing. And it has made a difference.
However, for Australians aged 15-24, suicide is still the leading cause of death. In fact, in 2023, 298 young Australians ended their own lives, with regional and remote areas of Australia experiencing greater impacts.
I am left wondering at the point of these awareness campaigns if not to bring the numbers down?
Of course, it's not that simple.
As awareness campaigns grow, the stigma begins to lessen and more people are willing to step forward and seek help. That's a good thing.
However, the ABS reported that 42.9 per cent of Australians aged 16-85 had experienced a mental disorder at some point in their life reflecting an increase since 2020-2022.
However, while an important part of the process, it seems that wearing a badge, running a marketing campaign, or organising international days to raise awareness, just isn't cutting the mustard on their own.
The awareness campaigns are only part of the picture - they need to be backed up with some solid, tangible and practical support for those of us genuinely struggling.
I was staggered to learn that if you called the Mental Health Triage Line on a weekend to gain support for your child, while you would find that the people on the end of the phone are really well trained, engaged, and are able to give you sound advice and coping support, the children's and youth mental health service itself isn't even available on weekends.
Furthermore, taking a child in to see a GP for a mental health plan because they are in crisis results in the GP struggling to even find a service that can support your child because the patient is too young or the clinic is too busy.
Headspace does a wonderful job, but you have to be over 12 years of age to access the service. This, together with inaccessible (if reasonable) fees, wait times being unconscionably long in private practice, our young people are left vulnerable to the insidious creep of mental health issues as it sneaks in to take them over.
Mental health services are often limited in regional Australia, when compared to the options a city-dwelling citizen has available to them and the handful of subsidised sessions via a mental health plan falls woefully short.
The availability and accessibility of mental health services is truly of paramount importance and the gaps that are so prevalent must be closed.
Improving GP education around what is actually available across the region is vital, as they are so often the gatekeepers to allied clinical care. If they don't know how to help you, then you can find yourself feeling cast adrift.
Improving GP education around what is actually available across the region is vital, as they are so often the gatekeepers to allied clinical care. If they don't know how to help you, then you can find yourself feeling cast adrift.
I'd also love to see mental healthcare integrated into our broader social fabric through enhancing the skills of incidental counsellors such as hairdressers, school teachers, employers, etc. Imagine if mental health first aid became as common as CPR certification (and as affordable), demonstrating how we, the society, can shape what mental health care looks like for our communities.
The system failed my husband. I'll be damned if I'll let it fail our children. We can do better. We must do better.
Support is available for those who may be distressed. Phone Lifeline 13 11 14; Men's Referral Service 1300 776 491; Kids Helpline 1800 551 800; beyondblue 1300 224 636.
Zoë is a regular op-ed columnist for Australian Community Media, with her column syndicated across their papers. This blog post first appeared in The Canberra Times on 5 March 2025.
