I recently attended a most interesting – and concerning – talk given by the former Premier of Victoria, Australia,Jeff Kennett, now Chairman of Beyond Blue (as passionate and articulate as ever) and his CEO, Kate Carnell.
Without boring you with too many figures, suffice to say that depression and anxiety disorders are the leading causes of disability in Australia – over 3m cases a year. They impact all occupations, all social levels, both genders, city and country dwellers and all ages.
More concerning is that around 44 people commit suicide every week, the majority being men – who tend to bottle things up more than women – and so many young people! But surprisingly, female doctors have a suicide rate 6 times the national average, compared with 2 times for male doctors. (Dentistry is a high risk occupation too).
This all results in a huge cost to the nation quite apart from the enormous harm to sufferers and their families.
Unfortunately, all too often when people take their own lives a common reaction is that nobody had any idea of the problem.
Key to tackling this major issue is increased awareness by us all and a greater willingness to discuss these issues with spouses, partners, kids, work colleagues, staff, friends, team mates etc.
Encouraging people who seem to be at risk to go to a doctor is an important step – keeping in mind that we cannot force people to do something they do not want to do.
Jeff suggested a good place to start is the Beyond Blue web site – http://www.beyondblue.org.au/ – which has lots of info to point you in the right direction.
As well as looking at the site yourself, could you please encourage others you know to do the same.
Thanks
