Men from Goldfields-Esperance region open up about biggest struggles
Twenty-eight men from the Goldfields-Esperance region have opened up about their biggest struggles when it comes to their mental and physical health, with many responses revealing most of them choose to keep their issues to themselves.
This week, to acknowledge and raise awareness for Men's Health Week, the Kalgoorlie Miner invited men from the region to participate in an anonymous survey aiming to find out about their mental and physical health issues.
The Miner also spoke to Kalgoorlie-Boulder clinical psychologist Christina Petz, who believes men often struggle more with mental health issues as they are less likely to speak about their feelings compared to women.
'I think that's the big difference between women and men, which is women will generally access something or look for help, while men are less likely to reach out for help,' she said.
'Men just put on a brave face and try to get through it by themselves.'
According to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 75 per cent of people who have ended their lives are men, while 83 per cent of those had displayed risk factors associated with poor physical and mental health.
From the survey by the Kalgoorlie Miner, 85 per cent of the participants aged 16 to 68 admitted to experiencing a physical or mental health issue.
Some 64 per cent of the men said they had dealt with a physical health issue, while more than half admitted to having a mental health issue.
And 46 per cent of participants said they had even suffered from both.
The most prevalent mental health issues the regional men reported to having were depression and anxiety, while their most common physical health issues involved problems with their weight and having an addiction, including alcohol and substance abuse.
One 30-year-old anonymous participant admitted to having issues with addiction as a result of other issues he had faced and said it took him a long time until he asked for help.
'It took me many years to speak to a professional and learn how to identify when I was spiralling and to try speak to someone, as opposed to numbing it with substances,' he said.
A 19-year-old participant also reported having an addiction as well as weight problems and mental health issues, and said he avoided seeking help because he was afraid of confronting his addiction.
'I avoided seeking medical advice because I felt like I never had enough time due to work and when I did have time, I felt uncomfortable going because it's hard to admit that I have an addiction that I shouldn't have at my age,' he said.
Ms Petz said she believed there was a 'gender bias' which held lots of men back from seeking help.
'I think there's a gender bias that we have in society that men are strong and women are weak,' she said.
'We're taught as children that boys don't cry but it's acceptable for girls to.'
Many of the men who participated in the survey admitted to avoiding professional help because of their beliefs about how men needed to act according to the world.
'As a male, your mental health issues are your issues that you deal with so it can't be used against you,' one said.
Another said: 'I did avoid help because I felt weak asking for it'.
'I feel like if I can't help myself then no one can,' another said.
Ms Petz said there were many online resources for men suffering from mental health issues who felt 'vulnerable' seeking face-to-face help and recommended the Medicare Mental Health webpage.
A 37-year-old man from Kalgoorlie-Boulder who suffers from anxiety and panic attacks shared his story in the Kalgoorlie Miner's anonymous survey about how online resources helped him shake his attacks.
'At my worst I didn't sleep for three days straight as every time I tried to, I would wake up five minutes later in the middle of an attack,' he said.
'I lost 10kg within a month and I never wanted to or took medication for anxiety — instead, I learnt about what internal behaviours, thought patterns and beliefs caused my anxiety and panic attacks.'
The man said Panic Free TV on Youtube helped him stop his panic attacks within weeks, while AnxietyCentre.com helped him to understand why he felt a certain way and how to deal with his emotions.
'I haven't had a panic attack in six years,' he said.
'It all starts with the correct information being available and people recognising the symptoms.'
Another participant said he thought if it was not for seeking professional help and talking through his struggles with his loved ones, he would probably no longer be alive.
'I learnt from my previous battle with mental health issues to identify when I was going downhill and to brace myself with a strong support network of friends, family and professionals,' he said.
'I make my support network aware in the early days instead of holding it in and we have been able to keep me from spiralling.
'I learnt to do this through one of my therapists and it has been extremely helpful.
'It's probably kept me alive.'
A 41-year-old survey participant from the region also shared his experience of being diagnosed with sepsis and other physical health issues and how he overcame the worst of it.
The man said he was in an induced coma for several months, losing lots of weight, and was then refused back into his work after he recovered.
He said he was 'losing his mind' until he found help.
'I spoke with an actual psychologist, Frank at Regional Counselling Services, and it made me realise I wasn't anxious, depressed or losing my mind — I was bored and wanted to be active,' he said.
'I took up some hobbies to keep my hands and mind busy, but I couldn't have done it without the support from my partner, my kids and my friends.'
Ms Petz said taking up hobbies and incorporating healthy habits into daily routines was vital for living a healthy life, both mentally and physically.
She recommends people struggling should get plenty of sleep, eat healthy, exercise, connect with others, learn to manage stress, do breathing and reflecting exercises.
Ms Petz also said she believed it was important for men to identify when they were struggling, as many regional men, specifically those in Kalgoorlie-Boulder, often grappled with demanding work hours.
A 44-year-old father of two from the region admitted to feeling burnt out by his long work hours.
'When I was younger, working long swings of two weeks or more was not too much of a problem, but now that I have two young kids and I'm in my 40s, the long swings have started to take its toll on my physical and mental health,' he said.
'I miss important family events when I'm at work and when I'm home, I'm constantly struggling with fatigue which affects my ability to be a good dad and husband.
'Drinking alcohol and comfort eating are ways I self-manage my fatigue and anxiety, which is affecting my physical health.'
The man said after he realised his job had affected his life, he took action to improve it.
'I am currently talking to a counsellor about managing my anxiety and stress and have considered a change of careers,' he said.
'I also find going to the gym a good way to feel more positive and less stressed.'
Ms Petz recommended men who might be struggling with their careers to take time off when they need or reduce their work hours if their work-to-life balance was becoming unmanageable.
She also insisted men reduce any unhealthy coping mechanisms they might have, such as consuming alcohol, saying most of the time physical and mental health issues were linked.
'If you improve one of them — your mental health or your physical health — both of them are going to improve,' she said.
She believes there's still a 'long way to go' for men's health to improve but is hopeful with the right knowledge and awareness, more men will feel confident facing and overcoming their challenges.
Men's Health Week is from June 9 to 15 and encourages people to check in with their mates and to not feel ashamed asking for help.
This year's theme is Men's Health Checks, emphasising the importance of addressing health challenges and booking regular health checks.
The number for the online men's counselling service MensLine Australia is 1300 789 978, while the number for the crisis support helpline Lifeline WA is 13 11 14.
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"Policies aimed at improving school readiness and early school outcomes of those children with household members with a restrictive health condition or disability will improve the future prosperity of young carers," the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) report said. Ms McAuliffe, from Shepparton in northern Victoria, said she wished her school had been more understanding when she was adjusting to responsibilities at home. "It's hard when schools don't understand or don't make referrals for younger children [and] teenagers to get extra resources or additional help," she said. "Normally they just put it down to behavior as being, 'Oh they've got ADHD' or 'They're just acting out'. "They don't see the whole story, or they don't ask for it until sometimes it's too late." In between grocery shopping and medical appointments she finished year 12 and went on to get TAFE qualifications as a teacher's aide and in early childhood education - and now works at a before and after school care service. But there were many days when she spent school class time drawing because she lacked the energy for anything else. "Other days I was able to focus and get the school work done and it was just exhausting," Ms McAuliffe said. Since then her mother has been through a life-threatening health scare which involved trips back and forth to Melbourne. "All the experts are down in Melbourne so, unless you've got private health insurance or can access privately, you don't get that opportunity in your own home or in your own city," she said. With help from organisations like Little Dreamers, which supports young people caring for family members, Ms McAuliffe is doing her best to look after her mum with cooking, cleaning and "reminding her to sit down" when she gets tired. This is something the young woman sees continuing in her future. "Probably still living with Mum and still working, still taking care of her for as long as she needs it," she said. Maddie McAuliffe was just trying to keep up with school work and deal with puberty when she began caring for both her mum and brother in earnest. Her older brother by two years had ongoing mental health problems combined with a hereditary joint and muscle condition, while her mother began battling type 2 diabetes and liver disease. She was 14, living in a single parent household in regional Victoria, and unaware of where to turn for help. "Looking back on it now, I don't know how I survived it," Ms McAuliffe, now 25, said. "A lot of it was teachers, schools [not] understanding or being a little bit more nicer about things and not just judgmental, or putting it down to that everything's behavioral." Ms McAuliffe's experience is not uncommon. The latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) revealed the number of carers aged 25 and under increased by 156,000 to 391,300 over the four years to 2022. And that caring, while sometimes rewarding, takes a toll. Carers aged 14 to 15 were more likely to fall behind at school and struggle financially, new research drawn from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children has found. Boys who cared for someone in their home for at least five hours a week were one and a half years behind their peers with no caring responsibilities in year 9 NAPLAN reading results and almost the same in numeracy. For girls in a similar boat, they were nearly 10 months behind in reading, according to the Young carers: impacts of caring on children's learning and wellbeing report. The study, released on June 19, also found teenage carers were more likely to live in a jobless, lower income household with parents relying on government assistance and more likely to experience financial hardship. "Policies aimed at improving school readiness and early school outcomes of those children with household members with a restrictive health condition or disability will improve the future prosperity of young carers," the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) report said. Ms McAuliffe, from Shepparton in northern Victoria, said she wished her school had been more understanding when she was adjusting to responsibilities at home. "It's hard when schools don't understand or don't make referrals for younger children [and] teenagers to get extra resources or additional help," she said. "Normally they just put it down to behavior as being, 'Oh they've got ADHD' or 'They're just acting out'. "They don't see the whole story, or they don't ask for it until sometimes it's too late." In between grocery shopping and medical appointments she finished year 12 and went on to get TAFE qualifications as a teacher's aide and in early childhood education - and now works at a before and after school care service. But there were many days when she spent school class time drawing because she lacked the energy for anything else. "Other days I was able to focus and get the school work done and it was just exhausting," Ms McAuliffe said. Since then her mother has been through a life-threatening health scare which involved trips back and forth to Melbourne. "All the experts are down in Melbourne so, unless you've got private health insurance or can access privately, you don't get that opportunity in your own home or in your own city," she said. With help from organisations like Little Dreamers, which supports young people caring for family members, Ms McAuliffe is doing her best to look after her mum with cooking, cleaning and "reminding her to sit down" when she gets tired. This is something the young woman sees continuing in her future. "Probably still living with Mum and still working, still taking care of her for as long as she needs it," she said.
