GOVERNMENTS need to be more proactive when it comes to dealing with issues of mental health, including among Aboriginal communities, Lifeline Central West director Alex Ferguson said.
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More than 2500 people take their lives each year in Australia, while across the Central West an estimated seven people commit suicide each week. Rates of suicide are two-and-a-half times higher for males of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent, and 3.4 times higher for Indigenous women.
"My worry is that we are not doing enough in terms of the Aboriginal community. In terms of depression, in terms of anxiety, in terms of substance abuse, we're just not getting there," Mr Ferguson said.
"There is a large disconnect, so any program that is focused on remediating any of the Aboriginal issues needs to come from the Aboriginal community itself and therefore there is a need for more training and more structure in terms of the delivery of Aboriginal triage in terms of these particular problems."
Last month the federal government announced a $100 million funding package to address domestic violence across Australia, including a share of $15 million for improved legal assistance for victims in the Dubbo region. The federal government's National Ice Taskforce has also been working towards a suite of policies to tackle the drug ice (crystal methamphetamine).
Mr Ferguson has welcomed the government's commitment to addressing domestic violence and ice, but called for a more holistic approach.
"You can't differentiate between a mental health issue and a drug issue because an excess of drug gives you a mental health issue," he said.
Mr Ferguson said issues of mental health, substance abuse and domestic and family violence are interrelated.
"So instead of segregating each of the individual components, what we need is a holistic approach," he said.
The comments come as the region's health organisations gear up for World Mental Health Day on October 10, with awareness-raising initiatives and activities being held throughout the month of October.
Dubbo Mental Health Drug and Alcohol (MHDA) Services will host two two-day Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training courses on October 13-14, and October 27-28, which are free for anyone in the community. Two paid courses will also be held for non-government organisations and their staff.
Mr Ferguson called for people to seek help if they "even have an inkling that they are not quite right".
"Even if you think you might have a bit of an issue, put your hand up because you're not the first and you won't be the last, and what you're suffering is not unique," Mr Ferguson said.
"Unless you put your hand up, these problems can fall through the cracks. We just encourage everybody to talk to your partners, talk to a doctor or call Lifeline on 13 11 14."
For more information about Mental Health First Aid training contact Dubbo MHDA Services on (02) 6881 4169. For more information about the events of Mental Health month, visit www.facebook.com/MentalHealthMonth2015.