Are Beyond Blue Ignoring Us?

Local News, By Christian Taylor, 29th June, 2009

Beyond Blue, Australia’s national depression initiative, is being accused of not addressing the needs of the gay community, who are considered more at risk of suicide, self-harm and mental illness.

According to Fairfax, Beyondblue have rejected numerous requests for funding to be allocated to depressed young people who are coming out and struggling with being gay. Homophobic bullying, abuse, anxiety and abandonment mean that young people are eight times more likely to commit suicide.

Sue Hackney, who runs the WayOut program – a suicide prevention program for young gay people in rural areas – told Fairfax that “because there’s less visibility of adult gay and lesbian role models in their community they can feel like they’re the proverbial ‘only gay in the village’.

Beyond Blue has been around for almost a decade and in that time it’s targeted specific groups including pre-natal mothers and indigenous Australians, but it has not yet done anything with the gay and lesbian community. Gay rights advocate Rob Mitchell cannot understand why.

“It can’t be because the research tells them they don’t need to do anything because it does, so the only reason I can think of is for some perceived political reason. How is there a political risk in stopping same-sex-attracted kids killing themselves?”

Beyond Blue’s chief executive Leonie Young said that the organisation recently commissioned research into depression in the gay and lesbian population and found that up to 31% of gay people suffered anxiety disorders and depression compared with between 4 and 14% of heterosexuals. 17% of young gay women had tried to harm or kill themselves in the previous six months, compared with 2% of straight women – pretty staggering statistics.

Young said that the organisation had no support programs in place targeting the gay community. “Young people and young women are two high-risk groups within the gay, lesbian and transgender and bisexual community, so we’re listening, we’re acting,” she said.

However, Mitchell says that Beyond Blue had to be pressured by himself to release the findings and that they had no immediate plans to address the issues.

Lyn Morgain, chief executive of Victoria’s ALSO Foundation, said that they had also been ignored by Beyond Blue in the past. “I think it’s a real travesty because it’s quite clear there’s a real vulnerability in those young people.”

Stevie Clayton, CEO of ACON, NSW’s GLBT health and well-being organisation told Same Same that they have not yet sought funding from Beyond Blue, but believes that there needs to be a mix of depression programs delivered by GLBT health organisations like ACON and GLBT programs delivered by depression specialists like Beyond Blue so that people have a choice about what is right for them.

“Most importantly we should work together on the design of programs so that our combined expertise means the best possible result for our community. Their expertise about depression and our knowledge about our community can not help but produce a better result. It is great that Beyond Blue has now done their own research which shows the same results as previous community driven studies, but the proof will be in the programs that actual flow from that research, and we are ready to work with them on the delivery of those programs whenever they are.”

This week ACON launched its new three-year Strategic Plan. “In it we have flagged a development of our mental health work beyond counselling and into mental health promotion, and we are intending to approach Beyond Blue about the potential for collaborative program development in the future,” says Clayton.

ACON already offer counselling, therapy and support services as well as a special service for people newly diagnosed with HIV. They also work with young same-sex attracted people on variety of programs aimed at improving self-esteem and relieving social isolation.

“In addition, we’re currently finalising a comprehensive strategy to help us actively promote mental health and wellbeing in our community rather than only early intervention and restoration. The sort of programs we want to develop will help people in our communities to recognise the early warning signs of depression in their friends and family and give them the skills to provide help before it goes too far.”

If you need help, phone Lifeline, 131 114 or call your state Gay and Lesbian Counselling Service.