Page 5473 - Week 13 - Tuesday, 16 November 2010
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also likely to be suffering from substance abuse. This paper also highlighted that, whilst young people have the highest incidence of mental illness, they have the lowest rate of receiving help. For men, this statistic was even more distressing, with just over 13 per cent receiving help.
Untreated anxiety disorders can lead to depression, marriage and family problems, financial difficulty, job loss and self-harm. Of course, one of the most distressing results of untreated mental illness is suicide. In 2005, more males committed suicide than the entire Australian road toll for that year. The highest risk group for male suicide is men aged 30 to 40 years of age, followed by men aged 40 to 45.
A recent survey of Australian attitudes towards mental illness shockingly revealed that only seven per cent of people view anxiety disorders as a major mental health problem. This is why Movember is so important. It is about men highlighting to men that it is okay to talk about mental illness and to seek treatment for it.
At the recent mental health forum that I held here at the Assembly, I met a wide range of mental health organisations and consumers. It was clear from my discussions that mental health is indiscriminate; it can affect anyone at any time. What is important is to ensure that we have a supportive culture and sufficient infrastructure in place to ensure that people seek treatment and receive treatment.
I would like to thank those “mo bros” and “mo sistas”—I know there are many in our community—who are supporting this initiative. One team that has received a lot of prominence lately is that of Peter Barclay, John Efkarpidis, David Parkes, Theo Dimarhos and Ivan Slavich. I believe there is a gala event coming up on 25 November, and I wish good luck to all those participating in that event. (Time expired.)
MS GALLAGHER: (Molonglo—Deputy Chief Minister, Treasurer, Minister for Health and Minister for Industrial Relations) (4.36): I would like to thank Mrs Dunne for raising this very important matter today. As other members have already said, Movember is a unique and effective campaign engaging a broad section of the community in a very light-hearted way to better understand men’s health needs and a way of seeking assistance.
Movember is an Australian grassroots initiative that has grown in patronage and attention over the past seven years. In November, men sign up to grow moustaches, a campaign that is now worldwide, with the aim of increasing awareness of men’s health and raising funds for men’s health needs.
Movember has a specific focus on prostate cancer and depression in men, has now had its millionth participant and has raised millions of dollars that have gone towards increasing awareness of men’s health needs as well as establishing and contributing to research, education and the maintenance of services that reach men.
Most importantly, thousands of men and boys know about Movember and use it to draw attention to men’s health needs. The reach of Movember is remarkable. We witness school teachers, sporting personalities, news readers, rock stars, other celebrities and workmates all wearing the Movember moustache, championing
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