Tomorrow, September 10, the world comes together for Suicide Prevention Day, a day to raise awareness for the many lives that are lost from suicide every day and to spark conversations that the current suicide rates in Australia can be prevented.

Suicide is the leading cause of death for young Australians between the age of 15-24, and it is time for us to start talking about what is happening to prevent this.

Far too often young people in our nation are neglected when it comes to seeking support.

This sense of neglect often comes from those closest to young people - parents, teacher, employers.

All of these people holding these ‘roles’ in young people’s lives should be playing an important role in ensuring young people know they have options and there are available resources - not for them to second guess their feelings.

But the issues do not stop when they get ‘approval’, especially in rural and regional areas, as young people are facing lengthy wait times for services that are often inconsistent and not accessible, whether they are too far away, operate on inconvenient hours, or carry hefty charges - the only thing that it results in is young people constantly feeling as if they are being let down by services that have been ‘designed’ for them.

Data from the 2025 Mission Australia Youth Survey Report shows that 18 percent of students surveyed had missed school because of anxiety, depression or mental health issues.

The barriers discussed before are evidently impacting not just the young people’s mental health but also their learning and social life - two factors that are commonly linked to the idea of ‘positive mental health’.

While our state and federal governments have a massive place in all of this, it’s time for our communities to start to stand up and look at how we can defeat the stigma that surrounds mental health.

I quite often wonder why going to see a mental health professional - whether that’s a psychologist, counsellor, GP or another stream of trained support - is as difficult as it is.

Why is it not as easy as going to the dentist?

Why is it not recommended to go to a mental health professional every six to 12 months like most health authorities in Australia recommend for a dental visit?

This is the stigma of mental health in Australia.

The stigma is real, it is the issue, and it's why young people aren’t asking their friends how they are really feeling?

And the stigma is why so so often young people are not telling those around them the way they are feeling on the odd occasion they are asked.

Data patterns show there is light in the tunnel, with the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) estimating that in June 2024, 3.4 million young people lived in Australia - 48 per cent females/52 per cent males – yet almost double the number of females sought mental health support compared to males.

This is a further display of stigma.

Research shows the ‘typical’ Aussie male is less likely to go and visit/seek support from a mental health professional.

It keeps coming back to communities - we need to start meeting young people, where they are, not at school where they don’t feel comfortable to share information in front of peers, not at home where every teenager believes anything said is an option.

It needs to happen at the footy clubs, youth clubs, swim centres, libraries, and all of the places where young people are generally happy and feel like they have a connection to the attraction and those around them.

I have been in environments where my peers have shared genuine experiences of ill-mental health and often here words of self-doubt.

It is time for the systems to change; it is time for us to have data driven, meaningful change that will have positive and genuine impact on young Australians.

We need to make change, and we need to do it for all of the lives that have been lost because of our broken systems and deadly stigmas.