Raising awareness of youth-related mental health issues and discussing avenues for seeking advice from mental health experts was the focus of a recent public forum held at The University of Notre Dame Australia’s Fremantle campus.
The University, in collaboration with Notre Dame Students for Social Justice (NDSSJ) and the Fremantle Foundation, recently hosted the successful Mental Health Forum, attended by Notre Dame students, staff and members.
The forum was designed not only to assist those affected by mental illness but also their families in accessing the best knowledge and services.
Moderated by the head of counselling services at Notre Dame, Andrew Duirs, the forum panelists comprised Headspace Clinical Support Officer, Annabeth Bateman; author and mental health sufferer, Joshua Cunniffe; and psychologist, Dr Gwen Brookes.
The forum provided a compelling insight into the state of Australia’s approach to mental health treatment. Questions posed by students and audience members led to constructive dialogue on how to best tackle early symptoms of depression and other serious mental health problems.
Many attendees shared personal experiences, trading wisdom and information about treatments and support practices.
Some of the mental health issues discussed during the forum included eating disorders, sexual abuse and future state-of-mind.
The forum also covered avenues to prevent youth suicide, emotional and personal abuse on social media websites, and the need for more government resources to cope with the rising numbers of mental health patients.
“The Mental Health Forum was about sharing stories, providing support and developing solutions that tackle mental health problems. From a Notre Dame perspective, it gave clarity to what we could do to support those suffering from mental health issues within our own university community,” NDSSJ President Caroline Lansdell said.
Senior Lecturer, Politics and International Relations in the Fremantle School of Arts & Sciences, Dr Martin Drum, said he was pleased with the depth of discussion on a range of critical aspects to the issue.
“A key purpose of the event was not simply to think about the problem, but map out pathways forward and to consider what practical things we can do individually and as a community,” Dr Drum said.
“We were particularly interested in the impact of mental health challenges on young people, including those facing changing personal circumstances and stressful work or study environments.
“Given the significance of this issue in our community, we hope to build on this event and host similar ones in the future.”
More information about depression and anxiety may be obtained at Beyond Blue at www.beyondblue.org.au or call 1300 224 636, or visit Headspace. To speak to someone urgently, contact Lifeline – 13 11 14.