General News
23 November, 2023
This Man’s mission
LISMORE resident John Patterson took part in a short film to encourage people to reach out and talk about mental health, aiming to reduce suicide deaths in Australia...
Helping to reduce suicide numbers: Lismore’s John Patterson is working to reduce the suicide statistics after his brother took his own life in 1986.
LISMORE resident John Patterson took part in a short film to encourage people to reach out and talk about mental health, aiming to reduce suicide deaths in Australia.
The film, This Man’s Worth, involves interviews with two people who have attempted to end their own lives and two families of those who succeeded.
Mr Patterson said he was approached 10 years ago by producer Ash Cottrell after he spoke at the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne.
“The producer of This Man’s Worth, Ash Cottrell, got in contact with me and asked if I would be part of the film she was making,” he said.
“At that point there was no subject title or anything, but she was doing a film on mental health.
“As a result of that, in the intervening years, we did a lot of interviews with the result being This Man’s Worth.
“This Man’s Worth has been shown at the Sydney Film Festival, the Melbourne Film Festival, and currently at the Brisbane Film Festival.”
The 40-minute short film was premiered in Lismore last Thursday as a collaboration with South West Healthcare, with Mr Patterson hosting the event.
He said he received positive feedback after the screening.
“I’ve had a few phone calls since, and it’s been very well-received,” Mr Patterson said.
“One of the calls I got was from an elderly gentleman who’d been carrying a load for many, many years.
“He said he’s now able to go and do something; the film has given him the tools to deal with the mental problems that he had.
“He’s started to talk about it to relieve himself of those pressures that have been with him for many., many years.
“It’s been positive. I think we’re going to be doing it (a screening) in Camperdown in due course.”
Mr Patterson said he hopes the film will help tackle the rising numbers of suicides, with 3249 deaths from suicide in Australia in 2022, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
“It started for me in about 1986, when my brother committed suicide, so that was the start of the journey to try and make people aware that mental health wasn’t something to shy away from,” he said.
“It is an illness; it’s a stigma we don’t need to live with. It’s something that needs to be spoken about.
“I was talking about mental health many years ago, but in a way that was trying to reach out to people; I used to recite a poem or a couple of poems in relation to mental health that people resonated with.
“Along with two other survivors of suicide, and two people like myself who talk about those that are left behind after suicide.”
According to the Australian Institute of Health and Wellbeing, 65,500 Australians attempt to end their own lives every year.
Suicide is the leading cause of death for those between the ages of 15 and 44, with up to 75 per cent of these deaths being male.
This Man’s Worth also shows the effects on those left behind, which are close to 455,000 people affected indirectly each year.
Mr Patterson said This Man’s Worth aims to make people aware mental health was a real issue in the community, particularly after the COVID pandemic.
“We’re trying to get funding from governments, and we’re basically trying to get people to get off their phones and start talking, to interact with each other,” he said.
“Society at present is very disconnected. Many years ago, we’d always sit down and talk to each other, where now we do it by text or email.
“That’s not the problem, but it’s certainly part of the problem. We’re passionate about getting people to connect, getting people to talk about their issues.
“Men in general don’t talk about their inner demons; the idea is to try and get people to open up a bit, so they don’t go down this ghastly road of suicide.”
Mr Patterson encourages people to speak up if they are having issues with their mental health, with support available for those in need.
“The message that we’re putting across whether it’s via film or through Let’s Talk down in Warrnambool and Hamilton and Colac, and Over the Gate, which is another idea that has been moving around a bit, is all about getting people to connect with each other,” he said.
“If they’re feeling down and depressed, go and see a medico. That’s the big thing, so we don’t have people going down that ghastly road of suicide.
“We can arrest it before it gets to that.
“Once people come out the other side, and you see them acknowledging that yes they had depression and they’re smiling and they’re enjoying life; that’s basically what we’re trying to achieve. To get people out of those depths of depression.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health issues, help is available through the following numbers:
• Beyond Blue: 1300 224 636
• Lifeline: 13 11 14
• Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800.