Young and Well CRC: Something Haunting You?

Introduction

Research conducted by Young and Well CRC in 2012 and 2013 revealed that young men experiencing moderate to high levels of psychological distress are more likely to open up about their issues on the Internet, and the majority of those who did found it helpful. According to this research half of the young men surveyed used the Internet to find information about mental health issues.

Young men in Australia are more likely to complete suicide, display antisocial behaviour and misuse alcohol and other substances than young women. Young men aged 16-24 are also less likely to seek help than young women, only 13% compared with 31% of young women. (ABS 2010, AIHW)

In a bid to increase the level of help seeking in young men before it reaches crisis point Young and Well CRC have launched this new campaign called Something Haunting You? which is an on-line resource that identifies potential stressors for young people in the form of 'problem zombies' and provides tips on how to overcome them.

This resource is a good starting point for those important conversations about mental health and finding out about how young men are faring in their lives. Something Haunting You? has been designed and developed with the involvement of young people. Knowing what works for young people is the key to engaging them in ways that provides support and  meets their needs.

Overview

Young and Well's First National Survey showed that nearly 40% of young men, 15-17 years experienced some level of emotional distress; one in five felt that life is not worth living; and young men in this age group were more than four times more likely to take their own lives.

The 'Something's Haunting You' campaign is a resource that provides various practical tips to encourage and support young men to deal with common everyday stressors. The idea is to help young men to develop preventative skills early on to avoid developing mental health issues.

Some of the common problem 'zombies' are:

• exam nerves
• party headache
• driving test pressure
• relationship problems
• nighttime ambush
• procrastination guilt
• body doubts
• family trouble
• peer pressure
• boredom