Leonie Young, CEO of Beyondblue, the national depression initiative, believes one of the most significant issues facing people who may be suffering from the illness is recognition of their symptoms.

“Without information people struggle on for quite a while, thinking they may be just physically tired, not sleeping, or not managing a whole range of things,” Ms Young said. “In the worst circumstances depression is a risk factor for suicide.

“However, there are effective treatments.”

Beyondblue, in conjunction with the Northern Rivers General Practice Network, is holding a depression awareness training workshop next Tuesday, September 30, at the Casino RSM from 6-9pm.

Everyone is welcome but the target group is people from drought affected communities and farmers from rural communities.

“People still feel, unfortunately, a sense of shame and weakness about depression, which may contribute to people not seeking help,” Ms Young said. “People may feel ashamed or weak in some way for not being able to fix themselves.

“People around you can ask ‘what have you got to feel depressed about – go on, put some lippie on and get out there’ or say it’s all in the mind or you’re not trying hard enough.

“They couldn’t be more wrong.”

One in five Australians will suffer depression at some point in their lives and it can strike at any time, including early childhood, during or after pregnancy, or in later life.

“Being judged as weak can prevent people seeking help,” Ms Young said. “The rate of suicide, particularly in rural areas, continues to be an unacceptable rate. Our suicide rate is higher than our road toll every year, and society does a lot of driver training and education. We also need to focus on suicide prevention. Clearly more needs to be done to change attitudes and we need to give people more information about depression.”

At the workshop Cath Walker will talk to people about how to recognise the signs and symptoms of depression and how to get help.

Beyondblue’s website www.beyondblue.org.au also provides useful information about services in the region.

• To access a list of medical and mental health professionals, click on Find a Doctor or other Mental Health Practitioner.

• To access the Rural Assistance Information Network (RAIN) Map which is a directory of health and welfare services, click on Get Help.

• To talk to someone about local services, contact Angela Andrews, community support worker at the Northern Rivers General Practice Network, on 6622 4453.

• If people don’t have access to the internet, they can call the beyondblue information line on 1300 224 636 (local call cost from a landline).

Following the workshops, Ms Andrews will establish information kiosks in prominent places where people can obtain beyondblue fact sheets on depression, available treatments and how to help someone.