Going Blue for Mental Health

Why would anyone dye their hair blue?! Why would a doctor make their tresses teal? Their mane ultramarine?

'Right now, over one million Australian adults are experiencing depression and two million are experiencing anxiety. On average, eight people take their own lives every day in Australia.' Beyond Blue

This October, I will dye my hair blue for mental health and use this newfound blue haired visibility to raise awareness, fight the stigma and raise money for Beyond Blue and Headspace. Please support me!

This is personal. I have had a 13 year old girl in the Emergency Department tell me that she wants to end her life. As a doctor, I have certified the death of a mid-30 year old man in regional Victoria, caused by suicide. I have been a patient too. I have been affected by mental illness myself. I have sought help from mental health professionals and I recognise that access to this type of support has made all the difference. What else made a difference? Having people around me who allow me to express what’s going on without feeling stigmatised. While we cannot help our loved ones to simply 'snap out of it', we can do a lot by educating ourselves and knowing where people can find help, financially supporting those organisations with the services and reducing stigma through conversation. So, let's do it, get on board!

>> Join me in raising money for Beyond Blue and Headspace so that they can continue to respond to crises, connect people to services and educate the community around mental health.<<

Stigma around mental health prevents us from recognising the signs in ourselves and others. It stops us form seeking help early and recognising that just as you wouldn’t treat pneumonia without professional help, we may need some professional help for this type of illness too. Even within the healthcare profession, members continue to propagate stigma despite being a leading demographic suffering from these illnesses. The stigma is holding us back.

Mental Health week (5 to 11 of October) is the time to get talking about these illnesses, how they affect us, what we can do to prevent them, and where to seek help.

Let’s turn these stats around:
- Suicide is the leading cause of death for Australians aged 15-44 year old (1)
- In 2011 men accounted for over three quarters (76%) of deaths from suicide(2), and an estimated 72% of males don’t seek help for mental disorders.
- Doctors reported substantially higher rates of psychological distress and suicidal thoughts compared to both the Australian population and other Australian professionals(3).

>> Join me in raising money for Beyond Blue andHeadspace so that they can continue to respond to crises, connect people to services and educate the community around mental health.<<

Beyond Blue declares that every donation helps to(4):
• Provide an expert listening ear – 24 hours a day, seven days a week – through our Support Service
• Develop and trial ground-breaking new initiatives to tackle anxiety, depression and suicide
• Give people the information they need, whenever they need it, wherever they live
• Distribute free information resources across Australia
• Produce evidence-based awareness campaigns to reach people at risk of developing mental health conditions; and
• Fund world-leading research



'More than 75 per cent of mental health issues develop before a person turns 25'

Headspace began in 2006 and aims to address this by providing tailored and holistic mental health support to 12 - 25 year olds. With a focus on early intervention, we work with young people to provide support at a crucial time in their lives – to help get them back on track and strengthen their ability to manage their mental health in the future...young people are at the centre of everything we do and they play an active role in designing, developing and evaluating our programs...
With more than 2 million occasions of service provided, we have helped thousands of young people get vital support through our 100+ national headspace centres, online services and clinical programs across Australia.(5)


My hair will be dyed blue for Mental Health week and I will use my newfound blue-haired-visibility (it sounds like a superpower!) to start conversations about mental health, promote services and educational resources.

Please be inspired and join me with increasing the talk within your circles about mental health. Educate yourself, check in with your friends and colleagues by asking “R U OK?”, paint your nails blue/wear a blue ribbon...or jump on board and dye your hair blue with me!

A HUGE THANK YOU in advance for your support.
Please keep in touch by following me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/GoingblueforMentalHealth/?hl=en



Sources:

1. https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/life-expectancy-death/deaths-in-australia/contents/leading-causes-of-death

2. Black Dog Institute: https://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/docs/default-source/factsheets/facts_figures.pdf?sfvrsn=8

3. BeyondBlue: National Mental Health Survey of Doctors and Medical Students. www.beyondblue.org.au/docs/default-source/research-project-files/bl1148-report---nmhdmss-exec-summary_web.pdf?sfvrsn=4

4. https://beyondblue-bash.cdn.prismic.io/beyondblue-bash%2Faf243326-36d0-4108-888a-ca06e9a2af8e_beyond+blue+fundraising+kit.pdf

5. https://headspace.org.au/about-us/who-we-are/