Supporting young people to seek professional help for mental health problems

Media reports describing the great escape of the Beaconsfield miners, and indeed the focus of the prime Minister, have been on the stoicism and bravery shown by these 'accidental heroes'. To some extent this became a case study in defining the best of what makes us proud to be Australian; as a society we greatly admire those who tolerate hardship without complaint and these characteristics are embedded in terms such as the 'Aussie battler'. While these stoic attitudes are held in high regard, they may also prevent people from seeking emotional and psychological help when it is needed. Young people - particularly boys and young men - tend not to seek professional help when they are in psychological distress or having suicidal thoughts. Rather, young people more commonly try to sort out their problems on their own or suffer in silence.