“Speak to your kids, even if your voice shakes.”
The country was reeling at these words from the father of 14-year-old Katherine girl Dolly Everett, who took her own life earlier this month following relentless cyber bullying.
The incident has put the spotlight on available services and resources for children suffering with mental illness, including those in the Hawkesbury.
Clinical psychologist from Hawkesbury Child and Adolescent Psychology, John McGee said while we had a number of good private practitioners in Richmond and Windsor, we lacked public services.
“The area is under-serviced when it comes to low cost public services with the nearest Headspace offices being in Penrith and Mt Druitt,” Mr McGee said.
“Community Health offers services out of Hawkesbury Hospital that can be accessed free of charge but there tends to be considerable waiting lists.”
Mr McGee said that while there have been many cases where social media has had a negative impact on young lives, family problems are also key difficulties that create mental health issues for adolescents.
“There are many examples of social media having a negative impact on the lives of young people and the recent tragedy of Dolly Everett is another example of this.
“Bullying and harassment are insidious in whatever form they take. Unfortunately, the online form has added impacts as it spreads to a wider audience and is there in print for the victim to ruminate on.
“Having said that, social media has had mostly a positive impact for youth mental health. It allows young people to connect regularly with friends.
“For younger children the most important social environment is the family.
“Broken marriages, parental mental health issues and parental drug and alcohol use are prominent difficulties children face.”
Mr McGee said for parents communicating with children was as simple and, as difficult, as being there and being involved in their lives.
“It does take a village to raise a child so developing a good social network for families where children interact with other children of varying ages and have the opportunity to engage with other trusted adults is important,” Mr McGee said.
