Financial Crisis 34 percent increase in suicide related calls

Hitting home: human face of world gloom – National News – National – General – Mudgee Guardian

MENTAL health services are experiencing a surge in demand, particularly from Sydney’s North Shore, as the financial crisis rips through life savings, destroys careers and drives victims to the brink.

And the services are braced for worse to come, with February shaping up as a crunch month for many families as Christmas credit card bills fall due.

Laura Kennan, general manager of clinical support at Mensline Australia, a support line for men, said there had been a 34percent rise in suicide-related calls between October and December, and that rise appeared to be caused by greater financial pressure.

“We’re expecting that that’s actually going to increase over the next couple of months, and particularly February, when people’s credit card statements come in and families go back to work,” she said.

“People have felt that pressure, particularly leading up to Christmas, where they’re under pressure to buy presents for people, Christmas lunch and travel to visit family and not being able to do it.”

At the crisis support agency Lifeline, the manager of counselling services for Sydney’s northern suburbs, Wendy Carver, said there had been cases last year where fathers had committed suicide as a result of the financial crisis.

“We certainly have clients, male and female, from the northern suburbs of Sydney who are feeling the pressure, feeling the stress, from the global financial crisis at the moment,” Ms Carver said.

“For families that have kids in private schools and may have to pull them out, that would be devastating.”

The organisation beyondblue, which promotes awareness of depression, is so concerned that it has produced a brochure, Taking Care Of Yourself After Retrenchment Or Financial Loss , which attracted 5000 orders in two days.

The booklet’s central messages are simple, said the organisation’s deputy chief executive, Dr Nicole Highet: “It’s probably not your fault. You’re not alone in having problems. Help is at hand to regain a sense of control over your life.”