Mental health has never had a greater profile in the community than in recent years.
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Certainly there has been an exponential rise in the effort to remove the stigma associated with the range of illnesses that fall under its umbrella.
And that’s for the simple reason that far too many lives were being needlessly lost or seriously compromised as a result.
The word “tragedy” is so often bandied about to describe all manner of unfortunate things, but rarely does it reach its true meaning.
Suicide though is an indisputable tragedy that has torn apart too many families right across central Victoria.
The Bendigo community has been at the forefront of efforts to de-stigmatise mental illness and ensure people do not suffer in private. Yet people are still losing their lives to suicide.
Clearly poor mental health is something that affects all parts of society and has a reach that snares a lot of people.
And because there is no single cause of mental illness, it means there is no silver bullet.
However, there are some causal factors that, if they can be addressed, will cut the suicide rate.
Unemployment is frequently cited as a major contributor to poor mental health, and it is not hard to see why.
Secure and stable work provides us with not only income, but structure and purpose too.
Without it, not only can financial pressures trigger stress and anxiety, but it is easy to develop counterproductive habits.
Too often when looking at the issue of unemployment focus is granted to those who seemingly refuse to work, content living off Centrelink payments.
But there are far more people who despite their best, exhaustive efforts, simply cannot find work.
With some jobs attracting hundreds of applicants, it is a highly competitive playing field.
As weeks turn into months and sometimes years, frustration can become demoralisation and, in many cases, something even more serious.
Central Victoria has an unemployment problem and particularly a youth unemployment problem.
It is imperative we, as a community, look at ways to create more jobs. Lives depend upon it.
If you or anyone you know is struggling with mental illness, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.