Starting the Discussion

MORE than 2,000 people viewed the Where There’s A Will Facebook page last night to ask questions of crisis mental health expert Geoff Ahern in what is believed to be the first online mental first aid discussion with a community.

Polly Yuille, committee member of Where There’s A Will said the response shows people in the community want this information and they will continue to do everything they can to continue the discussion about mental health.

“I hope those that watched ill be able to take something out of that session to help people they know, if one in every four people suffer from a mental illness it can be used one day,” said Ms Yuille.

“Geoff took taboo subjects and made them accessible, simple to explain and discuss; he created a good environment online where people were felt comfortable talking about personal information and have that discussion in their community,” she said.

Geoff Ahern, crisis mental health expert, fielded questions on Where There’s A Will’s Facebook page last night.

Geoff Ahern encouraged the community to ask the questions that were causing them concern, which included many questions about suicide, a subject that people often shy away from discussing in case they say the wrong thing.

“The kind of thinking about we shouldn’t talk about it because we are going to give people ideas or plant the seed, I think that’s driven by a combination of fear and lack of knowledge and it is a risky area to start talking about, so I understand why people are reluctant to talk about it, but I think we need to keep pushing forward with it and answer questions to ease anxiety and give them the confidence to address the situation,” said Mr Ahern.

“By asking someone if they have thought about suicide let’s them know that you won’t ridicule them and it also tells them that you are strong enough to hear the answer and that you are open to that discussion,” he said.

“Anyway that we can get people interested in and talking about mental health in the community is just incredibly valuable because there is so much stigma and discrimination still around mental health, the more public conversations we are having I think the better, because who knows how many people finished that Facebook feed and then sit down and talk with their family members or friends about mental health and bring it up at school tomorrow the more we generate awareness and generate discussion the better I think,” Geoff Ahern said.

To watch the video of last night’s live stream visit the Where There’s A Will Facebook page.