A Shepparton woman is calling on mental health first aid care to be implemented in schools across the state following a spate of suicides in the Goulburn Valley.
Molly Smith lost a cousin and a cousin’s partner to suicide in late 2021 and said she knew of six people in total who took their own lives leading up to December last year.
She said wait times of six months or more for mental health service and little more than a dozen mental health beds available for the general public across the Goulburn Valley meant people were still struggling.
“Going on a waiting list to receive help does not help these young people feel that they are cared for and that their issues are validated, adding to their already crippling mental health issues,” she said.
“The public mental health care system is quite literally having to play Russian roulette with people’s lives because of how understaffed, underfunded and short of beds they are.”
Miss Smith, who is now studying in Geelong, reached out to her friends and family across social media in March to gauge what they thought about the state of Shepparton’s mental health network.
She heard of an astonishing number of people falling through the cracks, including one person who was turned away from help after three attempts at taking their own life.
“These are just the individuals I know of that are around the same age as me, but I will add I have been told about plenty more,” she said.
“The concern and heartache this has caused not only me, but many others make me sick to my stomach.”
“Getting mental health first aid in schools is a goal I think would greatly benefit the community,” she said.
In March, Victorian Member for Shepparton Suzanna Sheed and Member for Northern Victoria Wendy Lovell both called for state government funding to assist Shepparton’s mental health crisis.
“A significant investment in a new mental health unit at Goulburn Valley Health has been identified as a high priority ... my plea to the government is to invest in this as a matter of urgency,” Ms Sheed said.
Ms Lovell called for an immediate increase in funding for child and adolescent mental health services throughout the region and a start to planning the establishment of a dedicated child and adolescent inpatient facility at GV Health.
If you need help, you can contact:
Lifeline: call 131 114 or visit lifeline.org.au
Beyondblue: call 1300 22 4636 or visit beyondblue.org.au
Kids Helpline: call 1800 55 1800 or visit kidshelpline.com.au
Headspace: call 1800 650 890 or visit headspace.org.au