Bros Unite - Creating Awareness in Young Men's Mental Health

bros-unite is here to fight for the important men in our lives. 

We are working towards raising awareness of mental health issues in young men by empowering you with knowledge regarding men's mental health.

We attempt to overcome the stigma and shame associated with mental health disorders.

JOIN OUR FIGHT TO RAISE AWARENESS AND REDUCE STIGMA AROUND MENTAL ILLNESS IN YOUNG MEN. 

LET'S UNITE AND SUPPORT OUR MEN.

Help a bro out. Fight.

Mental Illness in the FIFO Workforce

One of the most powerful things about blogging is the ability to express opinions on issues otherwise unspoken of when it comes to mental illness in men. Coming from a family where both my brothers are currently fly-in-fly-out workers, otherwise known as being rostered on ‘FIFO’, I have heard about, and seen firsthand, the trials and strains that FIFO work can have on the social and psychological well-being of men. Hence I have been driven to write this most recent blog addressing the association between the FIFO work lifestyle and mental illness in men. My aim is to raise awareness for any readers out there who think FIFO is harmless.

           

So let’s explore this situation more closely. At present, men from all over WA are being flown to and from relatively remote locations as part of their everyday work. In these locations food and accommodation is provided for in the form of single room dongas and a meeting room ‘mess’, but only for them, not their families, thus separating these workers from their families during the rostered time on. Meanwhile, a schedule dictates the number of days these workers must spend on site and the number of days they are allowed off. Whilst this may seem bearable from an external objective perspective, the experience itself is actually far from it. In fact the suicide prevention group, OzHelp, which runs programs in the Pilbara, quoted a 70% rise of suicide rates among mining and construction workers who work FIFO when compared to the national average [1]. The following are quotes from men who have experienced a FIFO roster or been involved in the counselling of men in the FIFO workforce:

“It’s very difficult to maintain a relationship with your kids over the phone” – Greg Lilleyman

“It tears at me” – Steve McCartney who admits that his experience working as a FIFO in the Pilbara helped his family financially but now, aged 60, he regrets missing so much of his kids’ childhood.

“When you spend lots of time away, that absence begins to deteriorate the marriage. It causes relationship breakdown, tensions, and affairs can develop, so everything that they’ve been working for can fall apart. That causes an almost instantaneous suicide in people’s minds because they think, ‘there’s no point me going on because that’s what we’re working for’ “– Brenton Tainsh

“The problem with anxiety and depression is when you stop work and are by yourself in your room. You start thinking and it gets worse, which affects your fatigue” – Steve McCartney

So let’s ask some important questions. 12hrs working, 8hrs sleeping in a donga by themselves sometimes 5 weeks on 1 week off, other times 5 days on 2 days off…[How long can someone actually live this way, so isolated and yet expected to be happy and hardworking? …Where is the time to relax? ... Where is the quality time spent with loved ones? …Where is the time for a social outing? … Where is the time for social sport? … How are our men actually expected not to get lonely, not to lose connection with their partners or their children, or even just their mates? …

No wonder the rates of depression, anxiety and suicide have taken a leap given we have completely cut off the support and social networks for our men [2]

On a deeper level, what is this lifestyle actually doing to our men psychologically, socially and emotionally? It cannot be a healthy setting for relationships when wives are being labelled ‘mining widows’ and married couples are understood to ‘live apart together’ [2]. How more confused can we get? Whilst many men will boast of the impressive financial returns of this lifestyle, one must wonder if it is actually worth it when relationships are struggling and men are isolated from family, friends and normal everyday routine and social activities.

Recently there has been an explosion of posts on the blogging site ‘Mining Families Matter’ which itself is a true reflection of the explosion in the size of the FIFO labour force that has accompanied the most recent resource boom in Australia [2]. This site was constructed for wives of FIFO workers where they can blog and share experiences and support for one another whilst receiving counselling or psychologically advice and services when needed. Whilst this is of some help for the wives and families, one begins to wonder where the support is for the men?

Interestingly enough, when you plough through these websites, the woman all agree that the men experience numerous negative emotional consequences of being in the rural location and these are intensified by the masculine practices of drinking, swearing and violence [2]. The consequences are visible in studies which have investigated the wellbeing of FIFO workers and found that workers most commonly report suffering from high stress, especially those with young children, disrupted sleep and fatigue due to the long working shifts, feelings of vulnerability when on site and a sense of powerlessness when they were away from home [3]. Directly correlating with these reports is the increased prevalence of anxiety, divorce, depression and drug and alcohol use in the FIFO workforce [3].

So how more deteriorated will we let our men become before something is done? Already the effects are evident.

Rebecca Turner explains the mining culture in a past article in The Australian, identifying the mine sites as a ‘macho culture, where you are expected to work hard, play hard and earn big money’ [1].  In fact anything other than this would be a sign of weakness which is unacceptable. However the most distressing twist to the article was the discovery of a 55 year old man who had died in his donga and only been discovered 2 weeks following his death [1]. His disappearance was apparently unnoticed as he went unmissed for two weeks. This is a direct example of the degree of isolation experienced by miners on these mining camps and whilst this is only one horror story, if you spoke to anyone who has worked a FIFO roster, it is now expected that they too would know of a FIFO worker who is depressed, or whose relationship has broken down or who finds it hard to cope with not being able to say goodnight to his kids [1]. This isolation and distance from family is only one of the many factors which social workers believe to be contributing to the rise in anxiety, depression and suicide among workers.

At present, due to numerous studies reporting similar findings of increased mental illness, relationship breakdowns and suicide rates in the FIFO workforce, there is a strong prompt for companies who employ FIFO workers to provide more mental health support for their employees [3] In conjunction with this, companies are being encouraged by government funded mental health agencies to reduce the stigma that surrounds mental illness in the workforce, as on many occasions when help was provided in the past, there was reluctance to seek help due to the ‘suck it up’ culture [3]. Therefore rather than companies focusing primarily on the physical safety of workers, the focus needs to also address the emotional and mental health of workers. Whilst an overall improvement in attitude and approach toward mental illness in male FIFO workers is in the near future, it is still up to us to increase awareness within our communities regarding the importance of mental health and to reduce the stigma that is so commonly associated with mental illness in men who work a FIFO roster.

If you are a FIFO worker, I encourage you to self-assess:

• your current state of mental health
• the quality of the relationships that surround you whether that be with your spouse, partner, family or friends, and are the people involved in these relationships (including yourself) happy with the current lifestyle?
• your attitude towards work
• and your attitude towards the stigma which is strongly entwined in the FIFO worforce -  If you were in need of mental health assistance would you feel free to reach out for help or would you feel ashamed and fearful of appearing soft, weak or unable to cope?

Be sure to reassess these questions regularly to make sure you are on track. Be honest with yourself and do not be reluctant to approach your local GP if you have any concerns regarding your mental health.

For access to the articles quoted in this blog, please visit the sites below:

1. Turner R. Depression the dark side of the mining boom. The Australian [internet] 2011 Mar 12 [cited 2014 Apr 11];National Affairs:[about 4 screens]. Available from: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/policy/depression-the-dark-side-of-mining-boom/story-fn59nokw-1226019669569
2. Pini B, Mayes R. Gender, emotions and fly-in fly-out work. Australian Journal of Social Issues [internet].2012 [cited 2014 Apr 11]; 47(1):71-86. Available from: http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.library.uwa.edu.au/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=7723fc5a-bd6d-412f-8406-bc72186b3555%40sessionmgr198&vid=2&hid=123
3. Validakis V. ‘Harden-up’ culture affecting mental health of FIFO workers. Australian Mining [internet] 2013 Jun 13 [cited 2014 Apr 11];News:[about 3 screens]. Available from: http://www.miningaustralia.com.au/news/harden-up-culture-affecting-mental-health-of-fifo

6 Things I Wish that You Know About Men's Mental Illness

It has been almost 2 months since the inception of this idea to work on mental health for our assignment, specifically young men’s mental health. Over this period, we have had the chance to sift through heaps of material, talk to experts in the field, and trawl through the Internet for relevant information to build up our site. Through it all, I have come to learn more about men’s mental health. While some facts and figures are just downright stunning, it was the number of misconceptions that was overwhelming toward mental illness in men. Whether you are a random reader who ventured here accidentally, or someone who is trying to help another guy out there, or you think you have a mental illness and need reason to seek help, here are some things I have learnt and wish for you to know.

1. Mental Illness Itself Is NOT A Myth

It is a medical malady. It is no less than the common sniffles that you catch or diabetes. It is as real as cancer and it is much more common then you think. It can strike anyone, the young, the old, the female or THE MALE.

2. Mental Illness DOES Occur In Men.

Perhaps it’s how we are brought up, or perhaps it’s just how media has been portraying male figures. 

Sexual stereotyping is everywhere. While we were growing up we have unknowingly learnt from family and friends what it means to be a man.  These ideas about approved behaviors and modes of thought are focused and supported by media messages. Men both young and old are expected to display traits such as independence, bravery, rationality, strength and efficacy Men are always expected to be the knight in shining armor, who is always there to save the day. As such, many of us are led to believe that men are strong and resilient and hence the possibility of mental illness in men is a foreign concept. Because of this, men themselves can struggle to acknowledge and vocalize that they have a real mental condition that requires professional help. This is because such an acknowledgement is commonly perceived as unmanly.

But you know what. Men DO suffer from mental illness. It is much more common then you think. In Australia, 1 in 5 men suffer from a mental illness each year [1]. While in America, over 6 million (7% of the population) are diagnosed with depression annually [2]. Even our Asia counterparts are not spared. In Singapore, the Singapore Mental Health Study showed that about 6% of Singaporeans have at least one episode of clinically significant depression in their lifetime. The combined lifetime prevalence of Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) was 3.6%. OCD is more common than GAD (0.9% and 3.0% respectively) [3].

3. People with Mental Illness Are NOT Violent. Not Everyone With A Mental Illness Is Going To Shoot Up A Movie Theater Or A School.

When people first hear about someone else who is diagnosed with mental illness, all they can picture is someone who has maniac behaviour, is extremely violent, and swears and curses at everything or anything.

BUT.

People with a mental illness are no more violent or dangerous than the rest of the population. People with a mental illness are more likely to harm themselves – or to be harmed – than they are to hurt other people.  The harmful behaviour is elicited in people who have either gone untreated or have stopped taking their medications.  And generally these are the extreme forms of mental illness.

4. If I Admit That I Have A Mental Illness, I Will NOT End Up In A Mental Hospital For A Very Long Time.

Often when people hear of diagnosis of mental illness, all they picture are straitjackets, cushion lined asylums and crazy medication regiments.  Men who suffer from mental illness start to think, is that who I really am? Is that where I want to end up?

Really, admitting and seeking help for mental illness does not identify a person as crazy. It does not secure you a one way ticket to your nearest friendly mental asylum. Mental illness is not a character flaw. It is affected by genetic, biological, social and environmental factors. With the right therapy or medication, one can recover from mental illness. Admission to mental asylum is only for the extreme cases.

5. You Say You Can Handle Your Own Mental Health Problem. But You’re Not Weak If You Can’t Handle it Alone.

We are all taught and made aware at one point or another about mental health. May it be in school, via the media, in the workplace, over the internet or even written within trash magazines. We all know that if we have a mental health problem, we turn to coping mechanisms such as exercising, eating, working harder, etc. to take care of the problem. As such, many people do not seek treatment for it.

However, sometimes these coping mechanisms may not be enough especially if your mental illness becomes overwhelming and begins to take over your daily activities. It is important to recognize that perhaps you need help. This DOES NOT meant that you are weak! This just means that you realize and accept your human and natural limitations.

For example, say you've sprained your ankle in a football game. So you ice and rest it when you get home (coping). However it is still sore after a week. You may consult with a friend or family member for their opinion about what to do (more coping). Eventually, you're convinced it may be worse than you thought and go to see your doctor. He looks at it and takes a few X-rays. He tells you that you're lucky you came in when you did because indeed it was worse than a sprain -- it was a hairline fracture which could have been made worse if not placed in a cast.

Same analogy goes for mental illness. Seeking help makes you strong not weak. Like a sprain, you will come out stronger with the right help.

6. I Can’t Help My Friend/Partner/Brother/Son Without Making Things Worst Then It Already Is.

It can be frustrating and frightening when it comes to helping that important man in your life deal with his mental illness. It’s like walking on eggshells; you tend to be over cautious to be sensitive to their feelings. But with the right treatment, and support it can be cured.

Men tend to view partners and friends as primary health sources. You are their first go-to-person if they have a problem. Perhaps they may not vocalize it to you. But recognizing signs and symptoms and offering more concern is the first step. Even if you don’t know how to help them yourself, a very good first step is to point them in the direction of someone who knows how to (e.g. your GP, school counsellor, helplines etc. Refer to here on where to seek help).

It sucks to watch someone you love spiral down the drain. Offer them your help, point them to the right place.

References:

[1] Australian Bureau of Statistics (2009). National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing: Summary of Results, 4326.0, 2007. ABS: Canberra.

[2] Men’s Health – Mental Health [Internet].  2014 [cited 2014 Apr 04]. Available from: http://us.movember.com/mens-health/mental-health
[3] Lim B.L. Men’s Mental Health [Internet] 2012. [cited 2014 Apr 04]. Available from: http://www.psywellness.com.sg/men-mentalhealth.html