We’re all super-conscious of the pressures being endured right now by the more than 76,000 young men and women grappling with what, for many, is the most stressful experience of their lives.
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Parents, friends, teachers and health professionals are steeled to support the Higher School Certificate class of 2014.
The Maitland Suicide Prevention Network has also begun a targeted rollout of cards carrying vital information on how to find help when life hurts.
Secondary students at All Saints College, St Joseph’s Campus Lochinvar, Mount View High School and St Phillip’s High School, Cessnock, and Kurri Kurri High School have all received cards.
So have TAFE students at Maitland, Kurri Kurri, Cessnock, Singleton, Muswellbrook and Scone.
The cards are very similar to the 3000 that were issued to taxi drivers in our area some months ago.
While we are vigilant for the impact of HSC expectations on our young people, it is important to remember that kids at the end of their secondary school journey are not the only ones to experience a spike in mental health issues.
Nor are they necessarily among those most at risk. According to the Black Dog Institute, one in five children and adolescents are affected by mental disorders, and those aged between 18 and 24 experience it most.
There are many support services. The Kids Help Line, Mensline Australia and The Suicide Call Back Service, to name but a few. But when people are in distress, how likely is it that they will research, or reach out to, these services?
That is the beauty of the Maitland Suicide Prevention Network’s cards. They may be tucked away in the back of a wallet and never used.
But they may also save a life.
The number for Lifeline is 131 114.