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Let's talk about mental health October 17, 2024 October is Mental Health Month with the subset of Mental Health Week running from October 5 to 12. Oberon Matters had a look at some of the activities in the area which assist in supporting and maintaining mental health. The Rural Advisory Mental Health Program (RAMHP) has issued a booklet titled "Boots on the Ground" looking at the ways some people have found to address this serious public health issue, and the subtitle makes the point of communication: "Let's talk rural mental health". Getting people to talk to each other is one important step, because isolation is one of the contributors to depression. Three of the events visited during the week were all about communication and getting people to socialise with each other. Two are directly related to mental health, and the third has support as a byproduct of just bringing people together. The first gathering is Mr Perfect. The scheme has the objective of bringing men together for a barbecue with no agenda other than getting together for a chat. It's well recognised that many men are cautious about admitting problems, something which is not helped by the way that an admission can be seen as a form of personal weakness. An isolated person can feel that nobody will understand their problems, but just getting together for a social occasion is recognised as a form of therapy. Nobody is asked or expected to talk about their problems, just to have a sausage sandwich or two and maybe make some friends.
| The next is Walk'n'Talk for Life, which has the specific aim of addressing suicide. This much more focussed than the other events mentioned here because it is aimed at the extreme end of the problem. It can surprise people familiar with the barrage of publicity (and money) thrown at reducing the road toll that the death toll for suicide is about three times that for road accidents (and there is good evidence that at least some single-vehicle fatalities are suicides) but suicide is still a socially taboo topic.
Walk'n'Talk will occasionally have a guest speaker, either someone telling their own story or someone from a support group. Both of the above groups are organised by Lincoln Briffa and meet monthly throughout the year. Coming events can be found on the What's On page here. The third gathering is the Oberon Men's Shed, part of the larger Men's Shed movement. While its primary aim is to bring together men, generally those who have retired, to have lunch, go on trips, practice their skills and keep their minds and hands busy, it has the side effect of addressing depression and isolation. The Men's Shed meets every Tuesday from about 10 at the Showground and everyone is welcome.
The fourth event was something completely different. It was "Brewing Ballads and Being Well" organised by RAMHP and Arts Outwest, and brought a group of musicians together to write and perform their own songs. Oberon Matters went along to the final workshop session where a couple of songs were rehearsed and changes made to make them better.
As the sign says, the aim is to "improve wellbeing and foster social connections through creativity". Led by local musician Abby Smith, the changes in the songs from the start of the workshop to the end showed people working together to create something and then polishing it to be even better. The final concert in the program at the Tarana Hotel on Sunday, October 20, and you can read about it here. If you or someone you know might be at risk from suicide these links could be useful.
In an emergency, Dial 000
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