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After Peter-Josef Miesen’s partner Des took his own life in 2015, Peter “suffered in silence” for months.
“I saw one or two doctors but they just wanted to give me antidepressants. I took them but nothing made me feel better. In a way they made me feel worse – it’s not a chemical imbalance in my brain, it’s grief,” says Peter.
Peter and Des had been together for 19 years and Des’ loved ones, including Peter, were unaware he was suffering before his death.
“He never sought any help for mental health, he never said he was depressed. People often say to me ‘he must have been sick’ and I can honestly say I don’t know.”
Find out how Support After Suicide helped Peter navigate the complex grief and trauma associated with suicide.
Ecological Justice Hub Christmas gift vouchers
This Christmas, you can give a gift that will make a difference to both the community and to the environment with an Eco-hub e-voucher.
Purchase a box of fresh produce to create a meal for someone experiencing hardship, or sponsor someone to participate in a course to build their skills and confidence. You can even purchase a gift voucher for an at-home cooking class with our in-house chef for up to 10 of your family and friends!
Artful Dodgers Studios’ new podcast captures stories of young people
Jesuit Social Services’ Artful Dodgers Studios recently released the podcast series Braided. The nine-episode series matches young people who experience barriers to community participation with Victoria’s leading audio storytellers to conceive, record, produce and ultimately bring to life the stories they want to tell
Medevac repeal vindictiveness foreign to our sense of ourselves as a nation
ANDY HAMILTON SJ writes that the Federal Government’s repeal of the Medevac legislation has stripped the benign mask from the Australian treatment of minorities to reveal a vindictiveness foreign to our sense of ourselves as a nation.
The Council of Attorneys-General recently met to discuss recommendations to raise the age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 14. At the meeting it was decided to hold public consultations and defer any further decision on this issue until 2020. This means Australian states and territories will continue to incarcerate primary school aged children against the advice of medical and child developmental experts. CEO Julie Edwards told SBS News that "We need to divert young people into a better pathway. Not draw them into a place that is going to reinforce that offending behaviour." Read the story here.
The Men’s Project, in collaboration with the University of Melbourne, has assessed the feasibility of a Stop it Now! service in Australia that prevents child sexual abuse and offending involving child exploitation material. Executive Director of The Men's Project, Matt Tyler, spoke to The New Daily about how the service would operate. Read the story here.
The Royal Commission into Victoria's Mental Health System recently published its interim report, which highlighted the need for post-suicide support services so people affected by the loss and grief of a loved one’s suicide are properly supported. CEO Julie Edwards and Dr Louise Flynn, Manager of Support After Suicide, responded to the report. Read more here.
