The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age have launched a new podcast examining mental illness among Australia’s youth.
The powerful six-part podcast series called Enough, from The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age’s journalists Jewel Topsfield and Sophie Aubrey, delves deep into the hearts and minds of our youth to reveal the extent of mental health issues in Australia, what led them into their illness and how they’re dealing with it.
Youth mental health issues have been on the steady rise for years. Before COVID-19 almost half of Australians aged 18-24 were experiencing psychological distress. But since the pandemic, experts say rates have skyrocketed.
Available on all major platforms, each episode of Enough will focus on a specific mental illness topic including anxiety, eating disorders, LGBTQI+ mental health, anxiety, and suicidal ideation.
Episode one centres on depression, an illness that one in seven people will experience in their lifetime. But telling the difference between teenage angst and a depressive illness can be challenging.
Featuring moving episodes with youth talking candidly about their experiences, the episode also delves into the shockingly high prevalence of mental illness in Indigenous youths. Researchers say anxiety in Indigenous Australia is disproportionately represented.
Nine Publishing’s head of premium content, Chris Paine said: “Enough is a powerful, moving and compelling series that takes a deep, yet sensitive, look at mental health in young people.”
“The pandemic has been uniquely challenging for young Australians and this podcast is an important opportunity for their stories of quiet pain, personal longing and hope to occupy the spotlight.”
While Enough ventures into emotionally charged territory, the podcast also features messages of brightness, hope and inspiration. The youth interviewed reveal their coping mechanisms and how they’ve harnessed their illnesses to reconnect with the world.
Dr Grant Blashki from Beyond Blue, who is one of the experts featured in the series, says there are lots of lifestyle changes and therapies sufferers of youth mental health issues can use to make treatment effective.
“There are a lot of common-sense things you can do – exercise; routine is gold, make a calendar for the week showing what time you’re going to get up and what you’re going to do every day; take it easy on alcohol. Simple things like meditation, eating healthy food and there’s a lot of evidence about lots of different food styles that can improve your mood.
“Then we turn to the psychology issues, and one called cognitive behavioural therapy is tremendously effective and you can do it online. Otherwise get a referral from your GP. Other treatments are very useful as well such as interpersonal therapy, and acceptance and commitment therapy.”