11 minute read
Mental health
Anxiety and depression
‘A silent crisis in men’s mental health’ has lately been the experts’ description of terrible statistics on men’s rates of depression and suicide. Importantly, it also describes a too-common reluctance among men to seek help.
Words by
Ben Ebert, Lane Cove psychologist specialising in working with men www.northsydneypsychologists.com.au
Life is not a bowl of cherries and a rotten batch of anything – events, relationships or situations – can make anyone feel ‘down’, especially if things are beyond our control. Even positive events such as the birth of a baby can trigger depression or anxiety for a man, as it can for a woman. Yet feeling down does not signal depression unless it is an intense sadness that interferes with everyday life for an inexplicably long time. Like stress, anxiety is a normal response to pressure, but it should pass once the stressful situation has passed, or ‘stressor’ is removed. Anxiety is a problem when it’s ongoing and flares up without cause. Symptoms include excessive worrying, muscle tension, even nausea. So it’s debilitating. Those who’ve suffered a panic attack know the sudden, heightened fear and feeling out of control.
Young men
One in seven young men aged between 16 and 24 experience depression or anxiety each year. Signs often go unrecognised and are passed off as 'part of growing up', resulting in young people not getting help.
Older men
While common, depression and anxiety are not always part of ageing, nor do they suggest weakness of character – they're a health issue like any other. Depression and anxiety in older people happen for all sorts of reasons: most frequently dealing with physical limitations and illness, personal loss, and isolation. Grief should never be underestimated and grief counselling is valuable for many dealing with loss.
More than a bad patch
Signs that it is depression or anxiety rather than a sad or bad patch include: • ongoing depressed mood on most days for several weeks • not enjoying previously enjoyable activities on most days over several weeks • recurring thoughts of suicide • sleep problems • Poor concentration and memory
Suicide
Many men have thoughts of suicide and many view it as a sign of weakness. Rather than weakness, it’s usually the result of feeling overwhelmed and/or immense emotional pain, and is not something to be ashamed about.
Seeking help, at any age
Men who are not natural ‘talkers’ might ask ‘what good can mere talking do?’ Yet recognising that help is needed and seeking it is a massive step towards managing and overcoming problems. ‘Opening up’ is the next step. If you’re reluctant to seek professional help, talking to a friend or family is a great start. Skype and phone sessions are options with many psychologists. One in eight men experience depression and one in five experience anxiety at some time. The number of men suiciding in Australia annually is nearly double the national road toll. An average of six out of every eight suicides each day are by men. And behind data and statistics, are always family and friends, a circle of lives shattered in a ripple effect to the extent that some are also at risk (see link Postvention Australia below).
Managing depression or anxiety
• Reframe unhelpful thoughts as
much possible: Can you think differently about things that trigger depression or anxiety? Observe if you are ‘catastrophising’ or being realistic. • Break down bigger tasks: into smaller ones and tackle one at a time. Do what you can, pat yourself on the back for what you have done and don’t be hard on yourself if you can’t achieve it all in one go.
• Stay engaged in the world around
you: Research shows people who push themselves to move forward with socialising, work, exercise etc find their moods and anxiety improve. • Revise your diet: Much is now known about links between healthy diet (especially fresh, raw fruit and vegetables), our gut biome, moods and overall wellbeing. • Get enough sleep: Sleep researchers say electronics suppress a hormone called melatonin that assists the body in falling asleep. Avoid mobile phones, television and computer an hour before sleep; choose reading or another relaxing bedtime routine. • Exercise and sunlight: Regular exercise, even a brisk walk, is understood to increase brain serotonin and endorphins – both ‘mood-lifters’. Sunlight also increases serotonin levels. • Support systems: Caring people can ease problems by keeping you connected. Join a social or community group, try a new hobby. The internet makes it easy to meet like-minded people – consider websites and apps such as meetup.com
• Mindfulness and meditation:
Mindfulness, or being in the present and accepting things as they are, was designed for regulating moods and preventing relapses of depression. You can be mindful when walking, eating, at work, anywhere. Meditation includes being mindful in a more structured way. See links at right. Trying a few of these tips will go a long way to managing mental health, boosting quality of life and capacity to engage. When things are going well, they can boost peak performance, too. • Life in Mind Australia connects community and Australian suicide prevention services https://www.lifeinmindaustralia.com.au/ • MensLine 1300 789 978 and https://mensline.org.au/ • Lifeline https://www.lifeline.org.au/ and 13 11 14 for phone support 24/7 also 7pm-midnight Lifeline crisis support chat
• Suicide callback service www.suicidecallbackservice.org.au
and 1300 659 467
• Wesley Mission’s LifeForce support near you www.wesleymission.org.au
/find-a-service/mental-health-and-hospitals/suicide-prevention/ • Black Dog Institute https://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au
• Postvention Australia supports people who are left behind after a suicide https://postventionaustralia.org/
YOUTH
• ReachOut for young people, parents and schools
https://au.reachout.com/
• Kids Helpline for people 5-25 years 1800 55 1800 and
https://kidshelpline.com.au/
• Headspace the national mental health support network 1800 650 890 and https://headspace.org.au/
MINDFULNESS AND MEDIATION
You can research mindfulness and meditation at many of the above sites or at:
• www.smilingmind.com.au/mindfulness - offers an app • For more mindfulness apps https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016
• For types of meditation see www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320392.php
DON’T MISS OUT ON THE THINGS YOU LOVE
Hearing loss can affect people of all ages, impacting conversations, your enjoyment of your favourite music and taking part in everyday interactions.
Improve your confidence by hearing better
WHAT
the hearing centre
9420 2300
174 Longueville Rd, Lane Cove thehearingcentre.com.au
Your local EXPERT independent Audiologist. Most hearing aid brands and prices.
The trouble with tannins
Most of us love to wake up and smell the coffee, or the tea … or the roses! Yet that innocent hot cuppa can ruin a beautiful smile - Advertorial by Mark Casiglia of Apple Dental.
Caffeine helps propel us to work, and through long hours. Coffee catch-ups are also a great way to spend a little time with friends. Yet coffee and tea do stain your teeth – badly, in many cases. If you are having problems with stained teeth, you might be wondering if it’s time to give up these favourite refreshments? And, in case you can only give up one, which is worse for discolouring teeth – tea or coffee?
The trouble with tannins. There’s no easy choice here: both tea and coffee can stain your teeth. Black tea can be worse than coffee and, ironically, white tea discolours teeth more than black tea. It’s not the caffeine doing the damage, it’s the tannins in both. But you can reduce the problem. The obvious way is to drink less tea and coffee. Some coffee substitutes and some herbal teas don’t have tannins, but you need to check. But decaffeinated coffee doesn’t mean there are no tannins. If you can’t lose your coffee or tea habit, try to clean your teeth during the day or at least rinse your mouth with water after your hot drink. If the damage has been done, your dentist can discuss ways to brighten your smile.
A brighter smile. Teeth whitening removes stains from your natural teeth. It can also make you look younger, as natural teeth darken with age. However, only your original teeth can be whitened. If you’ve had crowns, implants or veneers fitted they cannot be bleached any lighter than they were made. Your dentist can assess your teeth and explain how they can be lightened. If you’re suitable for teeth whitening, you can choose to have it done in the practice or do it yourself at home, using custom-moulded trays. Your dentist will provide you with whitening gel and instructions for daily application, usually at night, for around a week or so.
Other ways to whiten teeth. If you’ve already had some restoration work with artificial teeth and crowns, they won’t change colour. If they were originally light and it’s your natural teeth which are now stained darker, you can have your teeth whitened to match your restorations. If your teeth have darkened around old restorations which used to match, home whitening is a perfect way to dial the shade back to a good colour match again. Because it is done over a series of applications, you can simply assess it each day and stop when the right brightness is achieved. However, if you want an all-over lighter shade than your current combination, you will need to discuss how light your teeth can become, and which fillings, veneers and crowns may show and need to be remade to match. There are many ways to brighten your smile – almost as many as there are shades of white – so it is worth consulting your dentist about what will work best for you.
1 Finlayson St, Lane Cove. Phone: 9420 5050 www.appledental.com.au
Are you a stroller or a dasher? … in the Lane Cove Fun Run, September 8.
Get into the fun of the event: dress up, and dress up those strollers and your pets!
Both fun runs, 5km starting 7:30am and 2km at 8:30am, start walking or running from Kingsford Smith Oval, Longueville. Join pre-race warm-ups with FIT Lane Cove on the oval 20 min ahead of the races. This volunteer-run event sends all proceeds to Sydney Community Services to support seniors and disabled to enjoy living independently at home and also to the charity that gets school stationery to needy children – Got a Pen?
Online registrations are open at www.lanecovefunrun.com.au until September 4.
Or register at the start on the day, Sept 8. The 2km race is done in two waves; first is for faster, fitter people and second, slower wave is for people who want to walk.
REGISTRATION FEES :
• Child, under 16 years - $40 • Adult, 16 years and over - $45 • Family, up to six people at same address - $115 • Community business team up to 8 adults from one business - $190
More than 70,000 kids’ calls for help unanswered
Kids Helpline, Australia’s only free, confidential 24/7 national children’s counselling and support service, is in crisis: half the requests for help to the service went unanswered in the first half of 2019, due to funding shortfall. Yet for many children and young people, Kids Helpline is their only source of support. Children’s attempts to contact Kids Helpline increased by 2,500 to 148,776 in that six months, while visits to the website went up by almost 60% to 875,280. “A quarter of all counselling sessions are now about mental health and one in ten is a young person presenting with an undiagnosed mental illness,” said Tracy Adams, Chief Executive Officer of Yourtown which funds Kids Helpline. Responding to youths’ and children’s worries about their mental health is core to Kids Helpline’s work, along with identity and self-concept, school and education, and health and development issues. Ms Adams said Kids Helpline needs an additional $5 million annually to employ more counselling professionals to meet rising demand. While she praises proactive and brave children who seek support from Kids Helpline and is frightened that so many calls go unanswered, Ms Adams encourages young people to keep trying to get in touch with Kids Helpline. “Keep trying to contact us if even if you can’t get through the first time, keep trying, it is vitally important that people do keep trying”. Ms Adams stated for some people, connecting with Kids Helpline has been life-saving, while for others it’s about practical help and support at the critical moment when they need someone to listen. Whether they require one-off or ongoing support, children and young people can seek help from Kids Helpline before things escalate and become much bigger issues. Kids Helpline supports and protects children and young people (5-25) 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Kids Helpline relies heavily upon Yourtown’s charitable art union and donations from the community to continue its operation. Understandably, given market conditions and the ever-increasing competition for donations from a wide range of worthy not-for-profit organisations, currently Kids Helpline is 69% self-funded by Yourtown art union, donors & grants.
To support Yourtown and Kids Helpline, see www.yourtown.com.au or https://kidshelpline.com.au/ or phone 1800 55 1800.
