Emergency call - 000

TAKING CONTROL

Before you use this section, you need to agree to these terms of use:

  • This tool is not intended for use in cases of emergency – call 000 if this is an emergency situation.
  • Although the links provided in the this tool has been reviewed, they should not be assumed to be services endorsed or recommended by Spur Projects.
  • This is not a complete tool kit and you should continue to search for alternate options to get help.

Yes I agree

Alright, let’s face it. When you’re feeling crap, its damn hard to think about doing anything at all, let alone trying to do something to get over feeling crap! This is just a guide to help you get through the maze of what might be helpful to your or your mate
So is this you or are you worried about your mate?

Myself

Just recognising that we’re feeling crap and something needs to be done is often the hardest part, and then comes the most important part, talking to someone.
Have your told anyone about what’s going on in your life?

No I haven’t

When we feel like everything is fcked up, we usually think that people around us see us that way as well, but often times, that’s not true. It’s hard to recognise that but your mates are in your life because they want to be – sometimes it doesn’t seem that way, but it’s usually because they know something isn’t right and they don’t know what to do or say. Sometimes, they just want you to take the first step to tell them something isn’t right.
Go grab a beer (just one is good) and have a chat with your mate, or tell one of your family members – someone you trust. Sometimes all you need is someone you can bounce some ideas with and things become okay again.Set some small goals and try different things. Find out what’s going on and how you might change that. ReachOut.com is a great place to start.

Has speaking to one of your mates or a family member been helpful?

No

Maybe start thinking about who else you can talk to. A good place to start is call Lifeline at 13 11 14 – they’re free from landlines and mobiles, confidential and available 24/7. Sometimes, you don’t need to see a professional, you just talk about some issues with someone. Or you can call Kids Helpline at 1800 55 1800 – they’re free on landlines, they’re confidential, available 24/7 and support children and young people up to 25 years of age

Your GP is also a great person to talk to. They’re a good first person to talk to because they can help you work out what’s the best option (and some free options) for you. If you don’t have a GP, you can find one near you from the Royal College of General Practitioners website.Just bear in mind that like everyone else, doctors have different opinions as well and each person has different ways of tackling problems.

If you think your doctor isn’t right, get another doctor. It’s frustrating but once you find one that you’re comfortable with, it’s bloody worth it.If you reckon you need to see a mental health professional, Beyondblue has a list of all mental health professionals near you here. But what are my rights? How about payments? What are they going to ask? Who can I see other than a GP? – ReachOut.com has a great resource on all these sort of questions. If you want a less clinical setting, check out headspace – their centres in sites throughout Australia provide a one stop drop-in space where you can get help with everything from employment, education, counselling, general health and all the way to specific issues like drugs and alcohol use.

Sort of

In the mean-time, check out some of these self-help tools. Obviously, this cannot replace any kind of professional advice but sometimes, it helps and sometimes are great places to start!
Beacon compiles a list of great websites.Or if you have a smartphone, try these apps:

Moody Me
myCompass

Also, bear in mind that all professionals are different and have different approaches and personalities so sometimes, you might actually need to ‘shop around’ for the right person that you feel comfortable with.

Yes

Great! Is this person a professional like a GP, counsellor, psychologists, psychiatrist and so on?

Yes

In the mean-time, check out some of these self-help tools. Obviously, this cannot replace any kind of professional advice but sometimes, it helps and sometimes are great places to start!
Beacon compiles a list of great websites.Or if you have a smartphone, try these apps:

Moody Me
myCompass

Also, bear in mind that all professionals are different and have different approaches and personalities so sometimes, you might actually need to ‘shop around’ for the right person that you feel comfortable with.

No

Do you find it helpful?

No

Maybe start thinking about who else you can talk to. A good place to start is call Lifeline at 13 11 14 – they’re free from landlines and mobiles, confidential and available 24/7. Sometimes, you don’t need to see a professional, you just talk about some issues with someone. Or you can call Kids Helpline at 1800 55 1800 – they’re free on landlines, they’re confidential, available 24/7 and support children and young people up to 25 years of age

Your GP is also a great person to talk to. They’re a good first person to talk to because they can help you work out what’s the best option (and some free options) for you. If you don’t have a GP, you can find one near you from the Royal College of General Practitioners website.Just bear in mind that like everyone else, doctors have different opinions as well and each person has different ways of tackling problems. If you think your doctor isn’t right, get another doctor.

It’s frustrating but once you find one that you’re comfortable with, it’s bloody worth it.If you reckon you need to see a mental health professional, Beyondblue has a list of all mental health professionals near you here. But what are my rights? How about payments? What are they going to ask? Who can I see other than a GP? – ReachOut.com has a great resource on all these sort of questions. If you want a less clinical setting, check out headspace – their centres in sites throughout Australia provide a one stop drop-in space where you can get help with everything from employment, education, counselling, general health and all the way to specific issues like drugs and alcohol use.

Yes

In the mean-time, check out some of these self-help tools. Obviously, this cannot replace any kind of professional advice but sometimes, it helps and sometimes are great places to start!
Beacon compiles a list of great websites.Or if you have a smartphone, try these apps:

Moody Me
myCompass

Also, bear in mind that all professionals are different and have different approaches and personalities so sometimes, you might actually need to ‘shop around’ for the right person that you feel comfortable with.

My mate

Is your mate unsafe or at risk of harming themself or someone else at the moment?

No

Are you chatting with your mate right now?

Yes

Check if your mate is at risk of suicide or harm. Some risk factors for suicide that you can look out for: depression, psychosis, alcohol abuse, a poor social networks or support, organised plans (of suicide), previous attempts or is talking about it. If you think your mate is unsafe or is at risk of harming themselves, click here right away.We all feel crap from time to time. It’s normal but for some people, it lasts longer than it should and affects their personal and social life.

Listen non-judgmentally. Ask them questions, get them to discuss how they are feeling, listen without judging, don’t be critical or frustrated, don’t give unhelpful advice, e.g. “harden the f— up” or “get over it”, and avoid confrontation unless to prevent harmful dangerous acts.

Give reassurance – tell your mate it’s alright, plenty of people go through all sorts issues and like flu, cold or other physical illness, some of them go away and some of them needs to be looked at.

Give information. Encourage your mate to check out info like on website like www.reachout.com or talk to someone like a GP, headspace centre youth worker, counselor and so on.

If your mate is not ready to see someone, get them to call Lifeline on 13 11 14 – they’re free to call them from any landline or mobile. Otherwise check out online chat service like eheadspace or Kids Helpline.

Encourage your mate to get professional help. If you reckon what your mate is going through is more than feeling crap, get your mate to seek professional help. Sometimes, we all feel crap and it usually go away after a couple of days, but if it doesn’t, do something about it. Talk to someone.

Click here to find out who they can talk to

Maybe start thinking about who else you can talk to. A good place to start is call Lifeline at 13 11 14 – they’re free from landlines and mobiles, confidential and available 24/7. Sometimes, you don’t need to see a professional, you just talk about some issues with someone. Or you can call Kids Helpline at 1800 55 1800- they’re free on landlines, they’re confidential, available 24/7 and support children and young people up to 25 years of age

Your GP is also a great person to talk to. They’re a good first person to talk to because they can help you work out what’s the best option (and some free options) for you. If you don’t have a GP, you can find one near you from the Royal College of General Practitioners website. Just bear in mind that like everyone else, doctors have different opinions as well and each person has different ways of tackling problems. If you think your doctor isn’t right, get another doctor. It’s frustrating but once you find one that you’re comfortable with, it’s bloody worth it.

If you reckon you need to see a mental health professional, Beyondblue has a list of all mental health professionals near you here. But what are my rights? How about payments? What are they going to ask? Who can I see other than a GP? – ReachOut.com has a great resource on all these sort of questions. If you want a less clinical setting, check out headspace – their centres in sites throughout Australia provide a one stop drop-in space where you can get help with everything from employment, education, counselling, general health and all the way to specific issues like drugs and alcohol use.

No

Right, well, it’s good to know what’s going on so you understand what your mate might be going through. Have you tried to google or read up what your mate might be going through or how you could help your mate? Remember that without a professional diagnosis, you should not try to diagnose your mate, but having a rough idea what’s going on could help. Once you find any info that’s helpful, send the info to them.

I’ve done all that but what else can I do?

Well okay, now you just need to make sure that your mate is okay and you are okay as well. The most important thing is to keep encouraging your mate to speak to a professional. You may have to be patient at times, and help your mate make small goals and take small steps.

where do I start?

ReachOut.comhas a great resource on what you could do right here.You can also google some keywords and they should show up.

Otherwise, check out info website like beyondblue, headroom, headspace.

Yes

You need to get help immediately. You can call 000
to get through to the ambulance, police, Indigenous Police Liaison or Cross Cultural Police Liaison. They can go or come and check on your mate and make sure they’re safe.Or you can take your mate to your closest medical centre or emergency department.

Otherwise, look up your local hospital in the phone book or online at whitepages.com.au or yellowpages.com.au – they can put you through to a mental health team who can come out and assess what’s going on and what needs to be done.

If you’re with your mate, make sure that you’re not in danger and don’t put yourself or anyone else in danger.

Don’t leave your mate alone – if you’re not with them, try to arrange for someone else to be. Let your mate know that you’re worried about them and involve them in deciding who you are going to contact.

If the person is consuming alcohol or drugs, try to stop them from consuming any more but don’t put yourself in danger by forcing restrain on them.

Try to ensure that your mate has no access to any means to take their life or harm themselves.

Encourage your mate to talk. Listen non-judgmentally – be respectful, polite, don’t deny their feelings and don’t try to give advice.

Check out the guideline for this section.

Disagree

What! aw come on!
Ok ok, no dramas, maybe just check out ReachOut.com