ALARMING survey figures - that found almost one in 10 young men thought about taking their own life in the past year and that more than four in 10 experienced psychological distress - have identified the important role online technology can play in helping distressed young men.
The Young and Well Co-operative Research Centre (YWCRC) national survey was authored by the Brain and Mind Research Institute and the YWCRC to explore the current mental health sectors effectiveness in supporting young Australian men.
YWCRC chief executive and lead researcher of the study, associate professor Jane Burns, said often young men don't seek help and were not using services until they reached crisis point.
The YWCRC national survey revealed that about 300,000 Australian males aged between 16 and 25 felt their life was not worth living.
"Technology presents our best prospect to work directly with young men to create new ways of engagement, new models of care, and greater empowerment for young men in their management of stress and life pressure," she said.
Professor Burns said the survey was partly funded by Beyondblue and Movember because the centre wanted to priorities its focus on young men.
"For young men in rural, regional and remote areas, these findings are a game changer.
"It is so difficult to get great services to these areas because there is only so much demand.
"We have a real challenge getting these services out there, so technology has allowed us to reach out to people anywhere at anytime."
Professor Burns also said providing services via the internet also worked at a fraction of the cost.
Beyondblue chief executive Kate Carnell said alarming new research that showed almost 20 per cent of young Australian men do not think life was worth living highlighted the urgent need to address their mental health.
Ms Carnell said Australian policy-makers should read the survey and consider its recommendations in order to tackle the mental crisis facing young men in Australia.
"The results of this research are deeply concerning and emphasise the ongoing need for a focus on young men," she said.
"It makes numerous, evidence-based recommendations about how to improve online services for young men that must be seriously considered.
"This includes extending the operating hours of online services to better match the hours that distressed young men are online, and incorporating things such as music and video game content into the services to match their interests.
She said the survey also identified the need for ensuring every school had a social networking policy, ensuring all tertiary campuses provided mental health after hours and during holidays and the need for government to provide financial incentives for workplaces that prioritise e-mental health.
Twenty-two year old Xin Marshall knows first hand the positive affect technology can have on mental health sufferers.
From the age of 12, Mr Marshall was bullied at home and at school, and found himself withdrawing from his surroundings and finding solace online.
"I began to go online in the early hours of the morning when everyone else was asleep," he said.
"It became my own private refuge, always available at my fingertips, silent and invisible to the other members of my household, yet connected to people all across the world."
Mr Marshall said he spent a lot of time on the computer escaping his own life and forging a new one online.
"The only relationships that were meaningful to me were those I had across the internet."
Mr Marshall said it had never occurred to him that he could get help for his problems elsewhere online.
"I believed that this was just the reality of my life and that I needed to get through it on my own," he said.
"In my heart, I didn't really think anyone else could help me.
"The adults in my life offered little comfort or support, and I didn't believe things could really change."
Mr Marshall said ReachOut.com and Headspace were two fantastic online support networks that offered 24 hour support for young sufferers of mental health problems.
"Technology needs to be utilised, particularly by young men," Mr Marshall said.
"I grew up in Perth city, yet I felt so isolated."
- If you or somebody you know needs help, visit www.headspace.org.au or www.reachout.com.au
Join us for our Friday Forum
JOIN us online at www.theland.com.au at 2pm on Friday, August 2, when you can put your questions about coping with loss and bereavement to a
panel of mental health professionals.
The monthly forums are a joint initiative of The Land, the Rural Adversity Mental Health Program and NSW Farmers.
The Land’s editor Sally White said the forums were
designed to give readers access to a range of mental
health professionals without even leaving home.
The forum will kick off at 2pm on August 2.
