James Sheahan Catholic High School counsellor Norma Bongini said anxiety and depression were the most common mental health issues affecting people aged from 12 to 25 and she felt the rise in social media was a contributing factor.

She said although the issues had become more visible in the last few years, there was a lot of support available at schools and throughout the community. 

“There’s more anxiety emerging in the last couple of years ... kids are more anxious about where they are [compared to] other kids [socially],” Ms Bongini said.

“Kids become ensnared by social media, it rounds up all that pressure, not just academic pressure but family and social pressure as well.”

To help raise awareness to reduce stigma and educate students on the support available, the school’s art students have decorated an elephant cut out as part of the Let’s Talk About the Elephant in the Room initiative that is taking place at high schools across Orange.

The James Sheahan students decorated their elephant with polka dots and year 8 student Hannah Robinson said the focus was to be positive and show it was okay to have mental health issues. 

Year 9 student Abbie Wren says the initiative has been important because youth mental health often gets left in the dark.

“With awareness, people realise people can get help, get treated and get better,” Abbie said.

The month-long initiative, which is the first to involve several organisations across Orange, was coordinated by TAFE Western counsellor and psychologist Rachael Buckerfield. 

“There’s a lot of young people experiencing things like depression or anxiety, we felt there was a lot of it occurring in Orange, but [there is] not a lot of awareness and there’s a lot of stigma,” she said.

As well as TAFE and high schools, Orange City Council, Youth Action Council, School-Link, CareWest, Orange Suicide Prevention Network, Orange Men’s Shed and Western NSW Local Health District are also taking part.

tanya.marschke@fairfaxmedia.com.au