What happens when no one in the system will help?
Thank you to the incredibly brave person who raised this question 
I cannot begin to describe the number of times I have asked myself this question, and worked with others who have asked this question.
I could not more highly recommend reaching out to a crisis or helpline. They are there 24/7 (or longer hours), willing and ready to lend an ear. Even if we are accessing support, often our counsellors and mental health workers are only accessible during short hours. If we aren't accessing support, then it can feel like there even less options. That is why helplines are there... to offer support in the moment when you need them
If you are feeling like you need support, feeling distress, or starting to feel unsafe- you are not alone and someone is there to hold the load with you. There is eheadspace, kids helpline, lifeline, beyondblue, suicide call back service and so many more on our urgent help page!
Thank you for sharing those crisis lines @Jess1-RO.
That wraps up our Ask A Pro Live on Navigating the Mental Health System. If anyone has any questions following tonight's chat please feel free to share
We will also be getting back to anyone interested in getting involved in advocacy, committees, sharing experiences etc..
Thank you to everyone who participated tonight and to everyone who asked questions
@Jess1-RO thank you so much for sharing your experiences and advice it was really helpful and so amazing to read through
Check it out 
Thank you to everyone who submitted questions for this discussion tonight! There are still so many more we didn't get to, so please feel free to ask any further questions here 
HUGE thank you to @WheresMySquishy @drpenguin and @ecla34 for jumping online, sharing your thoughts and experiences- you are all such inspiring and strong leaders in this community
And and thank you to @Bre-RO for leading this discussion tonight!
Good night everyone!
Oooh I can't believe I missed this! 
I just finished reading through the whole thread and, overall, it is a pretty important and powerful discussion! You're all such great leaders Thanks so much for all the information and insights @Jess1-RO + @Bre-RO, and of course @WheresMySquishy @drpenguin and @ecla34! You're all so brave and insightful!
Thank you both
We are glad to hear you have found this discussion helpful! You are more than welcome to add any resources you know of to this discussion as well This coming month we will be looking at healthy relationships from friendships, romantic relationships and family relationships with a number of different discussions and activities!
Thanks so much for your feedback We're really glad that this was a valuable discussion for the community to have.
During the discussion we touched on the power of getting involved in advocacy and activism. Joining advocacy groups, committees, advisory boards, movements or contributing to mental health services can be a way to:
- Find a community: break social isolation, expand support network.
- Empower yourself: use your lived experience to drive change and improve services, policies and initiatives that impact you.
- Professional experience: These kinds of opportunities are also great to have on your resume and can even lead to a career path (if that's something you're interested in)
So, as promised here is a list of services/groups/organisations you can get involved in and actions you can make to plant the seeds for a better mental health system!
Oxfam have put together an amazing page on how to contact and write to your local MP, with tips on how to structure the letter etc. There's also information on how to write to an editor and address stigma in the media. If this is your thing, click here to read all about campaigning.
Orygen partners with young people to ensure they remain at the forefront of mental health research, initiatives and policies. Youth participation opportunities can be found here.
Mental Health Advocacy Service works with the community to ensure they know their rights as a mental health patient. They can be called for information and support. All information can be found on their website here.
The Mighty is a website that gives people the chance to write and share their stories. There is also a list of other fun writing prompts and a community you can get involved with. You can submit your story here.
One Door Mental Health support the community in a range of ways. You can submit an advocacy issue to their CEO to raise here.
Youth Action NSW empowers young people with easy to digest information/resources on how to navigate government and advocacy. If you want to find out more click here to find their website.
if anyone has anything to add to this list please do!
