Someone with depression is 20 times more likely to die from suicide than someone without it. Depression has been found to play a role in more than one-half of all suicide attempts. Suicide Prevention This year, World Suicide Prevention Day took place on 10 September. It was a day for all of us to think about those that had lost... The post Suicide prevention day is every day appeared first on Robert Nicholls ..read more

Here is the trailer for my first published book, Surviving the Darkness: Lessons learned from a battle with depression and anxiety, which was released on 5 August 2020. Surviving the Darkness is a concise, thought-provoking and inspiring narrative of the lessons learned from surviving a lengthy battle with depression and anxiety, laden with useful references and practical tips for carers... The post Surviving the Darkness – Book Release appeared first on Robert Nicholls ..read more

Michael Tuck is one of my heroes.  A seven-time premiership-winning legend of the Hawthorn Football Club who played a record four hundred and twenty-six (426) senior games for the club between 1971 and 1991. He is also a father that recently lost a son, Shane Tuck — an AFL legend in his own right — to suicide from the impact... The post Suicide: Lessons from the tragic death of Shane Tuck appeared first on Robert Nicholls ..read more

Supervisors have a range of legal responsibilities concerning work health and safety and injury management under workplace health and safety legislation in Australia. Usually, these responsibilities extend to ensuring employees adhere to related policies and procedures, identifying and reporting on any incidents and hazards, training and management of injured workers returning to work. They also extend to ensuring mentally healthy... The post Mentally healthy workplaces: A supervisor’s guide appeared first on Robert Nicholls ..read more

The social and economic benefits of mentally healthy workplaces are indisputable. Correspondingly, the business case for implementing appropriate workplace mental health-specific policies, procedures, and practices to secure these benefits is somewhat of a no-brainer[1] — perhaps even a foregone conclusion. Recognition of this fact, however, renders the findings of a recent Australian study[2] challenging to reconcile. For example, it is... The post Workplace mental health: 4 key elements appeared first on Robert Nicholls ..read more

With one in five working people in Australia experiencing a mental health condition[1], it is highly likely that you have worked, or are working, with someone with depression, anxiety or other disorder, perhaps even without knowing it. Addressing co-worker mental health is a key ingredient to maintaining mentally healthy workplaces.  During the working week (whatever that entails nowadays), people can... The post Co-worker mental health: How to save a life appeared first on Robert Nicholls ..read more

Every corporate board has a degree of dysfunctionality. However, the extent to which dysfunctional boards impact performance depends on the steps it takes to mitigate associated symptoms. The adoption of effective governance frameworks and the implementation of a robust, team-based culture are examples of such steps generally considered characteristic of useful boards, even ‘great’ ones[1]. The symptoms A dysfunctional board... The post Dysfunctional boards: Symptoms and effects appeared first on Robert Nicholls ..read more

Apart from the obvious suffering endured by people with depression and anxiety, many people still have misconceptions about mental health problems[1]. The most common fallacies are that there is no treatment for mental health problems; mental health problems are caused by personal weaknesses; that people with mental disorders are incapable of making decisions for themselves or running their own lives;... The post Stigma in mental health – it’s everywhere! appeared first on Robert Nicholls ..read more

Unfortunately, there are no magic words to help a person struggling with depression feel better. It does, however, help to acknowledge your understanding that depression is an illness—not a phase or some sort of attention-seeking behaviour.[1]  It is common for supporters to feel unsure about how to talk to people with depression or anxiety or to worry about saying the... The post 24 things to say to someone with depression appeared first on Robert Nicholls ..read more

Choice of language when communicating with someone with depression ‘can have a big impact on how someone feels about their mental health condition or recovery process’.[1]  Carers and supporters should educate themselves about what not to say and adjust their use of language to accommodate the needs of the person they are supporting. Try to use language that makes the... The post 13 things not to say to someone with depression appeared first on Robert Nicholls ..read more