By Matt Dawson
Circular Quay was a sea of yellow t-shirts on 12
September, as volunteers asked morning commuters one simple, thought-provoking
question: ‘are you okay?’.
R U OK? Day, the brainchild of advertising executive
Gavin Larkin who died at 42 of lymphoma, aims to raise awareness about suicide
prevention by encouraging people to start a conversation about mental health
issues.
According to Janina Kearns, Chief Executive Officer
of R U OK? Foundation, post-event awareness has increased from 11 per cent in
2010 to 68 per cent in 2012.
“R U OK? Day in 2013
was all about creating year-round conversations. We wanted people to talk,
tweet, text and blog about the conversations that change lives, and encourage
one another to ask people 'are you ok?' regularly and meaningfully,” Ms Kearns
says.
The centrepiece of this year’s public display in
Sydney was a ‘conversation pit’ filled with yellow and black rubber balls
outside Customs House. Ambassadors like singer Damien Leith and NSW Mental
Health Minister Kevin Humphries were miked up and thrust into the pit for a ‘good
old yarn’.
The
Conversation Pit, Customs House, Circular Quay
“R U OK? Day works so well because it is simple, fun
and people can identify with the concept. It is also a reminder that we get
better outcomes when there is a community response and ownership of the
solutions. Suicide prevention cannot be dealt with by the healthcare system
alone,” Mr Humphries says.
In 2012 R U OK? Day Foundation won the inaugural Don
Ritchie Suicide Prevention Award, receiving $10,000 from NSW Department of
Health. The award recognises Mr Ritchie’s efforts to stop suicide attempts at
the Gap, near his home in Watsons Bay. Over 45 years, of his own volition, Mr
Ritchie saved hundreds of lives by convincing people not to jump. He died in
2012 aged 86.
Irish born singer Damien Leith worked with Gavin
Larkin’s brother Aya, in the music industry in the United States and has been involved
with the event since it began.
“Most of us know someone who was been afflicted by
depression and seen them go through difficult moments in their life. If nothing
else, this event reminds us that a simple conversation goes a long way,” Mr
Leith says.
Research suggests that people experiencing suicidal
feelings are less likely to act on their impulses if they have strong
relationships.
Motivated to act after his own father’s suicide, Gavin
Larkin launched the initiative at Parliament House, Canberra in 2009. Barry Larkin
committed suicide in 1995. He was well-respected in the world of advertising
and, like his son Gavin, was described as an “alpha male”.
Gavin’s emotional tale was told on ABC’s Australian Story in September 2011. During
the program he admitted to being “a bit of a prick” during his youth but when
diagnosed with lymphoma (stage 4) in early 2010, he began to re-evaluate the
priorities in his life.
After enduring over a dozen rounds of chemotherapy,
Mr Larkin passed away at age 42, just days after Australian Story went to air.
Joe Hildebrand, a News Limited journalist, is another
media identity putting his name to the cause this year.
“When a friend is in trouble, we need to ensure the
lines of communication are open. We need to do more to de-stigmatise mental
health conditions and ensure that if someone gets into a place of helplessness,
they know it is okay to talk about it,” Mr Hildebrand says.
Asked what experience he has had with mental health issues,
Mr Hildebrandt quipped, “like most journalists and writers, I suffer from many
of them”.
On a serious note, Mr Hildebrandt described the
recent funeral of a ‘friend of a friend’ who committed suicide as a harrowing experience
and “an event that no one wants to go to”.
“If he felt he could have talked to someone, maybe
the outcome would have been different,” Mr Hildebrandt says.
