By Tess McLaughlan and Rachel Sherlock
Thursday 8th of September marks national ‘R U OK Day’, a suicide prevention initiative. Its aim is to remind people to have meaningful conversations about depression and seek help if needed. We spoke to Melbourne locals about their thoughts on the day and whether they believe it can have long-term benefits.
Daniella, 23.
“I haven’t heard of R U OK day before but it sounds like a really great idea. I think there is a possibility that it could make a difference. It may not make a huge difference, but a little bit can go a long way with some people.”
Kevin, 15.
“No, I haven’t heard of it before. But it makes a lot of sense because people on my group chat this morning kept asking me if I was OK. I think it could help depressed people. Sometimes you need some guidance from others otherwise you can become isolated and have darker thoughts. You just need a friend to talk to sometimes.”
Sophia, 23.
“Yeah, I’ve heard of it and I plan to take part. It can kind of just get a conversation going and encourage people to open up.”
Barry, 62.
“I do know about the day, but I haven’t seen much around. It’s often hard to talk to strangers about these kind of things, but if I thought they looked distressed I would definitely ask. I’m not really sure about the long-term impact. I hope it works and allows people to get advice and find out where to go for help.”
Maddie, 24.
“Yes, I know about R U OK Day because of social media. I’ve been liking peoples’ statuses. That’s my input for the day, but if it looked like someone really needed help I would ask if they’re alright. I think for males this is a really great social media movement, like the selfie campaign that is going around. I think if there’s more awareness and its more embedded into education, especially high school, there would be more of an impact. I haven’t seen much around uni embracing it.”
Tim, 18.
“Is that the depression one? I didn’t know it was today but I’ve heard about it. I don’t think its a great day because you should be doing it every day anyway. I understand the point, its good to raise awareness, but it’s kind of stupid. If they have depression they’re not going to admit to not being OK. There’s still a deep stigma that mental illness is weak. The day could help, but a lot more has to be done.”
Noel, 45.
“I’ve heard of the day, but I’m not taking part in it. I don’t know if it really helps. It may help jog someone’s memory of someone close to them who needs some support. But even then its a difficult task. I had a friend who had depression and it took me a while to say anything. Its a very hard topic to discuss.”
