THE Where There’s a Will Foundation is strongly urging people in the Upper Hunter to participate in a survey that will help the federal government develop a plan to improve mental health and reduce suicides in the district.
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The survey being run by the Primary Health Network is seeking to establish what people think they need, what is working and what isn’t working.
It wants to hear stories from people who have had experience in the system – if there have been any barriers to accessing services or even if there’s not actually a service available in the area.
Survey results will help guide decisions about the allocation of funding and resources to improve mental health in the Upper Hunter over the next 5-10 years.
“People are coming to the Where There’s a Will Foundation every other day with stories about how the lack of services, knowledge and resources is impacting the mental health of our community,” founder Pauline Carrigan said.
“We need people to participate in this survey and tell them about the lack of pyschologists and psychiatrists in the district, the cost of travelling to access these services, about people in acute crisis situations being turned away from hospital and surgeries because doctors aren’t available, about the lack of internet so youth aren’t able to access valuable online resources like eheadspace, about the lack of counsellors in our schools, about the nurses who want to do mental health first aid because it’s not even a part of their training and about the lack of knowledge of what mental illness actually is.
“I’ll certainly be telling our family’s story – about how through government campaigns, school campaigns and great community awareness we knew to educate our kids about things like being sun safe, road safe, alcohol, drugs and sex.
“And, how I keep wondering if my son would still be here if there’d been similar meaningful education campaigns for adults and children about signs and symptoms of depression and anxiety and how to help them.
“If you have had any experience with mental illness, if you’re a carer or friend of someone with mental illness please take the time to fill out this survey.
“Similarly, if you’re just someone who thinks that it’s not ok that one person is dying every four hours through suicide or that a mentally fit community is a flourishing community, please also take the time to fill out this survey.”
The survey closes on Sunday, June 4, and can be completed online at http://peoplebank.hneccphn.com.au/mental-health/survey_tools/consumercommunity-survey