What are your support networks? Who would you ask for help in a time of need?

[Donte]

Sometimes when we are suffering mental anguish, anxiety, fear, hopelessness and stress we may not be in a position to ask for help.

Often cultural notions, gender, age, beliefs and childhood experiences/upbringing can be barriers to accessing available supports. People from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds may have less supports in their lives that they can draw upon, people to trust and open up to etc as their families and loved ones may live overseas.

Language, fear, isolation, long distances - having all your relatives live overseas, not knowing how to meet new people and make friendships or keep them in this different cultural and linguistic setting; working long hours and being physically exhausted and unable to socialise and invest in friendships or not having anyone important around is the way things are for many people today.

Asking for help, opening up, being vulnerable and discussing what worries you is hard enough to do in your own language. Imagine if you had to translate all this into another language and/or ask an interpreter to be present and translate for you when you talk to a doctor or other health professional about the most intimate and difficult things. Not everyone can be strong enough to do this. Many just bury their pain in silence and/or drink themselves to forget.

For many the only support network could be this website (if they are among the lucky ones who can read English and navigate the Internet (and having access). But as 39% of our population aged over 65 yo are from non-English speaking backgrounds and the majority hasn't finished primary school in their country of origin and neither do have access to computers or internet, we can't really fathom how their reality living with mental illness could be, even if we tried.

What are your support networks? Who would you ask for help in a time of need?

[white knight]

Hi Donte

This is my view and it is a view without any migrant heritage.

We can categorize people, place them in pigeon holes based on their capability of understanding of mental illness

• Those that also have a mental illness that understand the struggles
• Those that have a mental illness but only understand those with the same illness
• Those without mental illness "normal" that have empathy that leads to compassion
• Normal people that will never understand but at least will listen
• Normal people that dont care or will never listen and wont make effort

We can also throw in other road blocks like language, sexuality, occupation, family tension, customs (eg the concealment of MI) etc.

The above results in less and less people around us that can be supportive, its why we are amongst our own here on this forum.

Hence we must seek out those that are MI compatible. Instead many of us in desperation try finding comfort in those that fall into the wrong category.

As an example. I met a lady and we chose to live together. She seemed perfect. But she was the step mother from hell. She didnt possess any nurturing capacity. This one essential for my two then young daughters was an essential. I was a package deal. It could never work. Ten years of trying hoping, it still didnt work.

So when it comes to seeking support we are also talking about people with the necessary ingredient in their nature. If it isnt there it isnt their fault. You cant get blood out of stone so its unfair to blame them. It isnt fair to blame someone for not being mechanically minded!

So in summary we must do what birds of a feather do...flock together...

Tony WK

[Summer Rose]

Hi Donte

I think Tony has highlighted the conundrum when he says "we must do what birds of a feather do...flock together".

78 per cent of my workers originate from a country other than Australia. Half of these people do no read or write English and I would estimate slightly less have conversational English language skills. They typically socialise with others from their country of origin in the workplace and the community and therefore aren't aware of supports available for mental health, even if they did have the skills to engage.

They are typically hungry for work, as they want to get ahead in Australia and often have family overseas to support. There is often family pressure to keep working no matter what--it appears that there is no time or acceptance that it's okay to see a GP to talk.

As they spend so much time at work, I believe employers can play a role here. Many employees talk to me about their personal issues--death in the family, divorce, miscarriage, partner drinking to excess, children running amok--but they don't talk about these issues in a mental health context. As a mental health first aider and someone with lived experience, I read between the lines and provide the bb information packs that are available in foreign languages anyway.

I found the foreign-language packs out of desperation and was amazed to find materials in Macedonian. Sometimes this opens the door to a conversation down track. Sometimes I get a follow-up call from a family member--usually an adult child who speaks English or a relative born in Australia.

Maybe bb could promote the availability of these materials--to employer organisations, to industry associations, to cultural centres, to places of worship, etc. Maybe even advertise in targeted local newspapers? Maybe find speakers who can talk in foreign languages? Maybe this is already being done, don't know. But I do know this is a significant issue and it's both sad and frightening.

Thank you, Donte, for highlighting the issue.

[Donte]

True, indeed White Knight.

🙂

[Donte]

Great idea Summer Rose,

With 46% of our population having at least one parent born overseas, I believe multilingual resources with easy to understand language and appropriate pictures, fonts etc are an excellent idea to assist in education and information and support for the more than 200 ethnicities living in Australia.

Many migrants of course haven't finished primary school in their native tongue due to poverty, war, persecution etc but some literature in their language is better than none.

Also, let's not forget that the average educational level in English by Anglo-Australians born and raised here in English-speaking families is a year 10 equivalent for the under 65 yo and a year 6 for the 65+ population. So, the language we use must be simple for all to understand.

I believe mainstream organizations funded by the government should incorporate as a best-practice-model at least the top ten languages spoken in their State and/or according to their demographics in the area that they deliver service.

[Summer Rose]

Hi Donte

I agree with your comments about mainstream organisations funded by the government and the translation of materials.

From where I sit, state work safe bodies and Safe Work Australia have a lot to do. Provision of a mentally healthy workplace and assisting workers with mental health conditions isn't an option and it isn't about "nature". It's a legal obligation.

Our business currently translates workplace safety information into five languages and it is pitched at year 8, but I know that this practice is rare within our industry and others. We have a long way to go.