Elizabeth Davies says young people feeling depressed should talk about it rather than shop, eat, drink or take medication

By Elizabeth Davies

It’s easy being poor when you’re happy. You can’t put a price on driving down an open road, stereo blaring, hot seats burning your thighs on a hot Kiwi day, knowing you have nowhere to be, and all the time in the world to get there.

But what about when you’re not happy? What about when life throws you a curve ball and you’re left feeling exhausted and desperate?

When you work a ‘real’ job and something horrible happens, you can take time off, to just be sad, recover and grieve, when you work a minimum wage job as I do, things are a bit different. There’s no doubt in the matter, you have to take time off, but a few days’ missed wages only add to your stress and depression, because now you’re wondering how you’re going to pay rent next week.

When young people are feeling depressed or going through a difficult time most will turn to therapy. However it’s not therapy in the traditional sense.
Some people will max out their credit card on designer shoes. This ‘retail’ therapy will make you feel better, for about an hour and a half before you’re feet are bleeding and you are cursing your impulsive purchase.

Others will drink until their card gets declined. Only half way through the night will they remember that alcohol is actually a depressant, as is not being able to afford food for that week.

Some, including myself, will eat their body weight in foods made up almost entirely of butter and grease. Instead of making me feel better, I’m left feeling even more woeful, cursing my inability to afford a gym membership (and knowing that if I had one, I’d never go).

My generation, more so than my parents’ was brought up being told that it’s ok to talk about your feelings, it’s good to ask for help. Despite this positive fact, New Zealand still has one of the highest youth suicide rates in the world. One in five New Zealanders will suffer from mental illness at some point in their life. People are not getting the help that they need.

The sad reality is that the people that can help the most, often have to be paid to listen. Even the cheapest therapy sessions are about $45 an hour. It doesn’t sound like a lot but let’s remember that it’s not a one off cost, it’s an ongoing commitment that can only help with time and consistency, something few people can afford.

In New Zealand it’s easier, and cheaper, to be put on anti-depressants than it is to sit down for an hour and talk about your issues. This means that a large number of people end up on medication with no supporting therapy. Something many doctors would suggest is dangerous and in my opinion can actually make matters worse.

Ideally schools and community centres would provide basic training for Kiwis concerning mental illness. Teach us what to say, how to say it, and most importantly what to look for. For a long time mental illness has been a taboo subject, something not to be talked about in polite company. I think it’s more important than anything for young people to learn how to start the conversation.

It’s not so much a question of if we can afford to make changes in our mental health attitudes and practises. It’s a question of if we can afford not to.

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*Elizabeth Davies is a 23 year old post graduate journalism student at Auckland University of Technology. She lives with her partner in Epsom and spends her free time refurbishing vintage furniture and attempting to bake while fighting a daily battle against her bank balance. She writes a weekly article for interest.co.nz on money matters and financial struggles from a young person's perspective.