The forum was participated by young people aged 15-25. They demanded more access to youth mental health services and spread of more awareness to eliminate the disgrace associated with mental health problems. There was discussion on topics including suicide prevention and psychologist waiting lists. One of the participants from Sydney uttered that he was never aware of what mental disorders were till the time his father got affected with depression and eventually committed suicide. He himself developed depression later on; while, his school had a support network, but they were not well-informed about the mental health problems.
“The main concerns he heard from the participants were negative perceptions of mental illness and a lack of education in schools”, said Mr. Butler. He added that young people were more anxious about stigma associated with mental health problems that they had to face in schools. At the forum, the young children expressed that the mental health needed to be a part of the school curriculum. Experts advise that three-fourth of mental illness commences before the age of 25 and just one in four such young people have access to mental health services.
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