In honour of it being both R U OK? Day today and World
Suicide Prevention Day earlier this week I thought it was appropriate for me to
write a follow up to the piece about mental health I wrote a few weeks back.
That article ended up being read by many more people than I ever could have
hoped for and I still am getting people talking to me about it.
I wrote that article on the spur of the moment and really
just hoped it got through to one person and maybe did a little bit a of good,
but it’s been probably the most heart warming and overwhelming experience of my
life since writing that one little article. I’d just like to thank everyone who
shared it and passed it on to others in the hopes of getting that message out
there.
I was also really glad to see that mental health has been
getting a lot of publicity lately. Not just with famous cases like what has
been happening with Charlotte Dawson, but also a story on the 7:30 Report on
ABC as well as this week’s 4 Corners episode. Shows like that can really do a
lot to get things into the public eye and I hope more people are thinking about
mental health as a large issue in society because of it.
With it being R U OK? Day today, I really do hope you
take the time out of your day to ask people if they are OK. I personally had a
session with my psychologist this morning and she was telling me that asking
people is important, but also, as much as it can be awkward, if you are
legitimately worried about that person you have to be specific and ask if they
have had any suicidal thoughts. It’s a very difficult question to ask and
people often worry that they are going to put those thoughts into the head of
the person they are asking, but all research shows that you need to ask those
questions specifically and that you certainly won’t be putting thoughts in
their head. Hopefully they will answer by telling you it’s silly and they have
never thought about it, but sometimes you might be surprised by what the answer
is.
Also of equal importance, whilst asking someone today is a
great start, let’s not make this a once a year thing. Today is supposed to be a
catalyst to ask people regularly and give people the avenue to talk. In fact,
asking someone if they ok often won’t be answered that day. They will often
tell you they are fine, but eventually when they are ready to talk, they will
come to you because you are the person who asked previously.
Today is a great initiative and I hope you all get behind
it. So to all those who are reading, I ask you....
Are you OK?
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