The <strong>Black</strong> <strong>Dog</strong>IndexMeasuring <strong>the</strong> mentalhealth <strong>of</strong> AustraliansA new measure <strong>of</strong> national mental health hasbeen developed by <strong>the</strong> <strong>Black</strong> <strong>Dog</strong> <strong>Institute</strong> in responseto international recognition that traditional economicbasedmeasures do not sufficiently reflect a country’shealth.The <strong>Black</strong> <strong>Dog</strong> Index aims to calculate ourlevel <strong>of</strong> happiness and put a tally around how many<strong>of</strong> us are living with depression, anxiety and suicidalthoughts. Similar measures are formally collected in<strong>the</strong> UK and Canada.In <strong>2012</strong>, Newspoll contacted over 1200 adultsfrom all walks <strong>of</strong> life around <strong>the</strong> country and asked<strong>the</strong>m to provide a score out <strong>of</strong> 10 for a series <strong>of</strong> questionsabout <strong>the</strong>ir mental health and personal circumstances(including income, marital status, educationand political views). The results were compiled intoan overall ‘Happiness’ score out <strong>of</strong> 100 which can bemeasured over time and linked with o<strong>the</strong>r measuressuch as unemployment or mortgage interest rates.According to Newspoll Chief, MartinO’Shannessey, <strong>the</strong> happiest people were older, married,tertiary educated and earning over $90,000.Conversely, depression was connected strongly withdivorce.<strong>Black</strong> <strong>Dog</strong> <strong>Institute</strong> Director, Pr<strong>of</strong>essor HelenChristensen, initiated <strong>the</strong> project with <strong>the</strong> aim <strong>of</strong>broadly identifying what factors are involved withpeople feeling happy or unhappy. As well as givinga snapshot <strong>of</strong> rates <strong>of</strong> mental illness, <strong>the</strong> index willprovide much-needed information on how to moreeffectively improve overall mental health and reducesuicide rates.“The good news is that <strong>the</strong> inaugural <strong>Black</strong><strong>Dog</strong> Index score is quite high at 77. This means thaton <strong>the</strong> whole we are quite a happy bunch <strong>of</strong> people,”says Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Christensen.“Worryingly, <strong>the</strong> index also showed that fourper cent <strong>of</strong> respondents were actively troubled by54
Knowthatnotasign<strong>of</strong>weakness.Stayawayfromnon-prescribedalcohol—youmayneedyourdoctor’shelpwiththis—anddispose<strong>of</strong>anyunusedmedicationin<strong>the</strong>house(especiallyantidepressantsandsedatives).Youcantake<strong>the</strong>setoyourdoctororpharmacistfordisposal.Ifyouareprescribedmedication,makesureyouareaware<strong>of</strong>anysideeffectsandarrangeforregularfollowup.Insomecases,antidepressantmedicationrelievesfeelings<strong>of</strong>anxietyanddepression,butino<strong>the</strong>rcases<strong>the</strong>medicationactuallyincreasessuicidalthoughts.Thisriskisgreatestin<strong>the</strong>firstfewmonths<strong>of</strong>medication.Tostartfeelingbetterphysically,youshouldsortoutanyunresolvedhealthproblemsormanagechronicsymptoms,eatahealthydietandgetenoughsleep.Youshouldalsoseektoreduceoreliminatesources<strong>of</strong>stress,getoutintonaturesoyoucanbenefitfrom<strong>the</strong>sunshineandfreshair,andtrytoconnectinameaningfulwaywithpeoplewhocareaboutyouorsharecommoninterests.Setaregularroutinewithadayplanthatincludessetting<strong>the</strong>alarmtogetupin<strong>the</strong>morning,eatingbreakfast,lunchanddinneratregulartimes,andmakingtimeforexerciseandsleep.Makealist<strong>of</strong>jobsyouneedtodoeachday—even<strong>the</strong>menialtasks.Remember<strong>the</strong>thingsthatyouhaveenjoyedin<strong>the</strong>pastandtrytodosomethingthatyoumightenjoy,evenforashortperiod<strong>of</strong>time,eachday.When someone is sodistressed <strong>the</strong>y think aboutending <strong>the</strong>ir life, or beingbetter <strong>of</strong>f dead, <strong>the</strong>y arewanting to stop <strong>the</strong> painsuicidal thoughts. This translates to approximately halfa million people across <strong>the</strong> country. With suicide nowovertaking motor vehicle accidents as <strong>the</strong> major cause<strong>of</strong> death in young people, <strong>the</strong>se are results we need totake very seriously.“Traditionally, we have kept silent on suicide tominimise <strong>the</strong> risk <strong>of</strong> glorifying it. New evidence showsus that talking about suicide can be beneficial byencouraging people experiencing suicidal thoughts toseek treatment.“It’s my hope that new programs like <strong>the</strong> <strong>Black</strong><strong>Dog</strong> Index will improve public awareness about suicideand help those people who feel life isn’t worth livingto contact Lifeline, <strong>the</strong>ir GP or a friend or family memberto talk about it – because help is available.”The <strong>Black</strong> <strong>Dog</strong> Index will be conducted byNewspoll at regular intervals, with results reported inThe Australian newspaper.Makesureyoucontinuewithcounselling,evenafter<strong>the</strong>immediatecrisishaspassed.Youmaygothroughsomevulnerablefeelingsonceyouarefeelingbetter,anditisimportanttobuildpreventivestrategiesfor<strong>the</strong>future.Thiswillalsoinvolvedevelopingashort-termandlongertermwishlist<strong>of</strong>thingsyouwouldliketodo.Unfortunately,severedepressioncanmakesomeonefeelsolost,sohopelessfor<strong>the</strong>futurethat<strong>the</strong>ywillend<strong>the</strong>irlife.Whenthathappens,thosewhoareleftbehindalwaysquestionwhe<strong>the</strong>r<strong>the</strong>yshouldhavebeenmoreawareordonesomethingmore.Ifyouare<strong>the</strong>go-topersonforsomeoneyoususpectissufferingfromdepression,itwillprobablybeunfamiliarterritoryforyou.Thereisacommonfallacythatifsomeoneisseriousaboutsuicide<strong>the</strong>reisnothingyoucandotostopit.Thatisnottrue—<strong>the</strong>rearestrategiesforyout<strong>of</strong>ollow.Remember,whensomeoneissodistressed<strong>the</strong>ythinkaboutending<strong>the</strong>irlife,orbeingbetter<strong>of</strong>fdead,<strong>the</strong>yarewantingtostop<strong>the</strong>pain.Recognise<strong>the</strong>signs:apreoccupationwithdying,getting<strong>the</strong>iraffairsinorder,withdrawingfromusualsocialconnections,ga<strong>the</strong>ringinformationor<strong>the</strong>meanstosuicide,increasinglyusingdrugsoralcohol,orexpressingdeeppessimismabout<strong>the</strong>future.Takeanysuggestion<strong>of</strong>suicideseriously:itisawarningsignandapleaforhelp.Raise<strong>the</strong>subjectwith<strong>the</strong>personyouareconcernedabout:thisgives<strong>the</strong>m<strong>the</strong>opportunitytotalkabouthow<strong>the</strong>yarefeelingandforyoutohelp<strong>the</strong>mget<strong>the</strong>help<strong>the</strong>yneed.Youmightopen<strong>the</strong>conversationwithwordssuchas‘‘Ihavenoticedyouseemreallydownlately—whatcanIdotohelpyou?’’Encourage<strong>the</strong>mtovent<strong>the</strong>irnegativefeelings.Tell<strong>the</strong>mthatif<strong>the</strong>yfeellikegivinguphope,<strong>the</strong>yneedtocallforhelporjustgetthrough<strong>the</strong>nextminuteorhour.If<strong>the</strong>personseemsacutelysuicidal,donotleave<strong>the</strong>malone.Suicideisatragedyfor<strong>the</strong>personwh<strong>of</strong>eltatthatmoment<strong>the</strong>rewasnoo<strong>the</strong>rsolutionto<strong>the</strong>irdistress,andfor<strong>the</strong>peoplecloseto<strong>the</strong>mwhoarelefttowonderwhat<strong>the</strong>ymighthavedonetopreventit.Ifyouarethinkingaboutsuicide,askforhelp.Ifyouareaskedforhelp,knowthatyouractionsmightsavealife.Kerryn Phelps is conjoint pr<strong>of</strong>essor in <strong>the</strong>faculty <strong>of</strong> medicine, University <strong>of</strong> NSW, and apast president <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Australian MedicalAssociation and <strong>the</strong> Australian IntegrativeMedicine Association.If you are depressed or contemplating suicide,help is available at Lifeline on 131 114.SILENT STASEAN PARNELLHEALTH EDITORSufferers <strong>of</strong> severe depression, especially men, <strong>of</strong>ten eschew prGEOFF Harmer bricked my familyhome in Inverell. He was, from phone with a happy ‘Hi, how aresuicide. ‘‘I even answered <strong>the</strong>all accounts, a lovely guy, very you?’, not realising, and she toldgoodat histrade. Withmortarandme that dad had killed himself.muscle, Ge<strong>of</strong>f instilled in our big From<strong>the</strong>nit’s all abit <strong>of</strong> a blur.’’brown house <strong>the</strong> same qualities Ge<strong>of</strong>fhadbattledmentalillness<strong>the</strong> townsfolk saw in him: solid, for a number <strong>of</strong> years, but his familythought he was finally gettingdependable, well-presented, warm<strong>of</strong> heart.on top <strong>of</strong> it. His troubles first cameHe and his family lived on <strong>the</strong> to a head late in 2010 after Ge<strong>of</strong>fo<strong>the</strong>rside<strong>of</strong><strong>the</strong>hill — hissonTimhadstoppedworkingdue tostress.andIwerefriendsat school — and In complete and utter despair,Ge<strong>of</strong>fwould<strong>of</strong>tendrive<strong>the</strong>kidstoGe<strong>of</strong>f — who always told <strong>the</strong> kidssport or dancing, anywhere <strong>the</strong>y he was fine — confessed to Carolneededtobe. Ifhehadtimetotaketha<strong>the</strong>hadtriedtohanghimselfinhis callused hands <strong>of</strong>f <strong>the</strong> trowel, <strong>the</strong> tree out back but failed.or <strong>the</strong> steeringwheel, Ge<strong>of</strong>f would Carol’s love and support for herrelax withCarol or take a moment husband never wavered. Despitealone in <strong>the</strong>ir back yard. From his objections, and fears, she convincedhimtoseealocaldoctorbuttakein<strong>the</strong>bigsky<strong>of</strong> northwestern nothing muchcame <strong>of</strong> it.<strong>the</strong>re, <strong>the</strong>veteranbricklayercouldNSW, and<strong>the</strong>hum<strong>of</strong> cattletrucks‘‘He still thought he was allon<strong>the</strong>highway, perhapsreflectingright, that he was just having abadon <strong>the</strong> countless people he had trot,’’ Tim says, knowing hismet and homes he had built fa<strong>the</strong>r’s conditionwas worsening.aroundtown.ThatChristmas, whenall members<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> family were backEight months ago, Carol foundGe<strong>of</strong>f’s body hanging from one <strong>of</strong> toge<strong>the</strong>r, <strong>the</strong>y cornered Ge<strong>of</strong>f in<strong>the</strong>bigtreesin<strong>the</strong>yard. Theworld<strong>the</strong> bedroom and pleaded withand, inhis case, mental illness, had himtoget help.got <strong>the</strong> better <strong>of</strong> him. The muchlovedhusband, fa<strong>the</strong>r <strong>of</strong> three Timsays. ‘‘We were worried.’’‘‘We just saw him unravelling,’’grown-up kids, and grandfa<strong>the</strong>r to Ge<strong>of</strong>f felt he could handle itthree more, was 60 when he took himself, but <strong>the</strong> main obstacle tohis life. He would have turned 61 him seeking help was his fear that<strong>the</strong> followingweek.people would find out and thinkThe Saturday his fa<strong>the</strong>r died, less <strong>of</strong> him. Despite being knownTim Harmer was in <strong>the</strong> back yard as <strong>the</strong> Sapphire City, Inverell has<strong>of</strong> his Sydney home, repotting a only 10,000 residents and Ge<strong>of</strong>ftree, when his phone lit up with a knew <strong>the</strong> doctors, he even knewcall from his sister Laura in <strong>the</strong> counsellors. And what wouldInverell.his friends and <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r brickies‘‘It was completely out <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> think?blue; unexpected, completely,’’ <strong>the</strong> ‘‘We tried to tell him that ifgraphic artist says <strong>of</strong> his fa<strong>the</strong>r’s people held it against him it wasThe <strong>Black</strong> <strong>Dog</strong> Index aims to calculate our level <strong>of</strong> happiness. If weare looking for a sign <strong>of</strong> optimism, this photograph (an entry in arecent <strong>Black</strong> <strong>Dog</strong> <strong>Institute</strong> photographic competition) can’t helpbut bring a smile to your face.SPOTLIGHTYou think peopleare getting better,<strong>the</strong>y seem reallygood, and <strong>the</strong>n itjust happensBLACK DOG <strong>2012</strong>TROUBLEDNot at all (0)<strong>the</strong>ir problem,’’ Tim says. ‘‘It is anillness that is misunderstood, verymuch so, but it is still an illness. Hewasn’t himself, he wasn’t <strong>the</strong> dadthat I grew up with, and peoplewould have to deal with that <strong>the</strong>way we were all dealing with it. Bu<strong>the</strong> couldn’t face it.’’The family drove Ge<strong>of</strong>f eighthours to Sydney, where doctors at<strong>the</strong> St John <strong>of</strong> God Hospital Burwoodconfirmed he had severedepression, anxiety and psychosis.Ge<strong>of</strong>f stayed <strong>the</strong>re for three weeksand <strong>the</strong>n returned home withmedication and a broader treatmentschedule. After a psychoticepisode six months later hereturned to Sydney for more treatment,missing a family trip toBritain for Tim’s wedding to hisEnglish swee<strong>the</strong>art Lisa.BLACK DOG INDEXHOW HAPPY DO YOU FEEL? HOW OPTIMISTICMean, June <strong>2012</strong>, <strong>the</strong>n October <strong>2012</strong>ARE YOU? *SEXAGETOTALMENEDUCATIONLEVELWOMEN18-3435-49HOUSEHOLDINCOME50+Jun 12Oct 12PRIMARY/HIGHSCHOOLCOLLEGE/APPRENTICESHIPUNIVERSITYDEGREE< 50K$50,000-$89,999$90,000+SEXAGETOTALMENEDUCATIONLEVELWOMEN18-3435-49HOUSEHOLDINCOME0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1050+PRIMARY/HIGHSCHOOLCOLLEGE/APPRENTICESHIPUNIVERSITYDEGREE< 50K$50,000-$89,999$90,000+550 169 %So Caroshe rettime owasn’HehelpBut<strong>the</strong><strong>the</strong>bafoThankfully, Ge<strong>of</strong>f was wellenough to attend <strong>the</strong> Australianwedding celebrations, where Timsays his fa<strong>the</strong>r was ‘‘actually realgood’’.‘‘The treatment was workquite well,’’ Tim says.‘‘Up until he committed suhe seemed to be gettingbetter.’’Ge<strong>of</strong>f started helping <strong>the</strong>Salvation Army with its delgoing to church and even tTROUBLEDMISERABLOn a scale <strong>of</strong> zero to 10, with zero being ‘not at all’ and 10 bein* First time question has been askedOct 12TOTALMEN0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10SEXAGEEDUCATIONLEVEL18-3450+tWOMEN35-49HOUSEHOLDINCOMEPRIMHIGCOAPPUND
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