Shining a light on mental health

You would love GetUp! I wish it had been around in 2004. It's one of those community campaign things that might have helped restore a Certain Someone's faith in the ability of ordinary people to make a difference to the chaos that surrounds us in the world. It was Margaret Mead who exhorted us to ""Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." GetUp! helps bring such people together, online and face to face, to write messages, send petitions and from time to time, to raise cash, for campaigns ranging from saving Tasmanian forests to ending mandatory detention for refugees, paid parental leave and an end to the insane unfairnesses of the Howard Government's Work Choices legislation. I imagine it would have been one of his most commonly bookmarked sites.

Now they're turning their focus on mental health. In lobbying the government for extra funding, by asking people to pay for a candle with their personal message on it, they're also giving people a voice: for their fears as carers or people who are hurting, or for the grief of those left behind after the ultimate agony: when suicide claims another soul who was lost in a darkness they despaired of ever escaping. The messages below are from the GetUp! campaign. There are some acutely personal tales here, each told in a mere handful of words. I hope they are read by our politicians - but I also hope that they are read by people everywhere who suffer depression in some form, and by the people who care for them. Please know that you are never as alone as you think you are, and there is always another option. Always.

• "This for all those who bravely face each new day not knowing when the present struggles will subside, but always believing in a brighter tomorrow. Believing that this too, will pass."



• "For everyone affected, but particularly my husband. My hope is that he realises how beautiful a person he is and that he feels hope for the future"



• " I am buying my candle for my eldest daughter who has bipolar disorder. She has also anxiety."



• " For anyone in need... and those who love them"



• "a light of hope for those in the shadows - you do not walk alone"



• " My friend Mal and my cousin's son Andrew both suffered years of depression before they took their lives. With better mental health support services they might both be alive today."



• " I was one of the lucky ones that was treated with respect and care when I went to the hospital, suicidal because of depression. I hope that one day, everyone in the same situation can share the same story. "



• " for my mum and for all who are suffering or have suffered from debilitating mental health issues"



• "Not just for the sufferers but also the carers; without these wonderful people no amount of money would fix our mental health system. "



• "This is for my mother who has suffered for years with depression and for those, less fortunate than her, who don't have the support of family and friends or private health cover to pay for what the public system doesn't provide"



• " For our son and for all young people who are not receiving the help which they desperately need. We want our government to provide them with the support they need to lead full, happy lives."



• "The black dog runs wild in rural Australia. You can only imagine the hightened sense of loneliness of those living in remote communities and farms. We need to reach out and let them know they aren't alone."

And last but not least: For Mikko, who was so afraid of our mental health system that he felt he had only one choice left.



You are still much missed, Rakkani