10 Good Reasons why ads save lives.

1. Educating our ‘whole community’ about Mental Health and Suicide issues,

  • by recognising suicides  can happen to anyone of us at any time
  •  as a result of an immediate or ‘situational crisis’

“…many people who become suicidal do not have a mental illness. An acute situational crisis can lead to suicidal behaviour.” beyondblue website, ‘Man Therapy’ P 2.

  • so Ads do not just target depression and ‘at risk’ groups
  • with an underlining message of ‘normalising’ and de stigmatising Mental Health
  • will lead to many, many more of us being able to recognise
  • when we need help
  • and take ourselves off to the Doctor or Mental Health Professional
  • ‘with the same ease as going to the Doctor for colds and flu’ …
  • also to discuss/share with Family, mates, work colleagues etc
  • With the same ease.

2. ALL those  around someone who may be experiencing problems,

  • partners, brothers/sisters, relatives, workmates, team mates, neighbours etc
  • will know they can play a very  important, potentially life saving role
  • By asking ‘RUOK?‘,
  • Offering love, help, empathy and support and
  • Encouraging them to seek Professional help
  • from Doctor, Mental Health Professional etc.
  • and be able to offer REAL support by just ‘being there’
  • for them with Love, ‘Company’ sharing, empathy support etc.

3. So the whole community works together to help each other.

  • This should include bringing our Doctors ‘on board’
  • e.g. by having a prominent notice in EVERY waiting room
  • ‘If UR struggling with UR Mental Health or know someone who is … please feel very free to mention it to UR Doctor.”
  • Police, extra training and vigilance, sensitivity to anyone ‘at risk’
  • Other Professionals in Particular the Legal Community, being sensitive to clients who may be at risk.
  • Sporting clubs/other Pubs, Clubs and Restaurants etc – I little staff training.

4.   Getting through to whole communities via ‘slow lane’, local newspapers.

  • ‘Slow Lane’, Local newspapers are preferred and targeted because
  • Apart from Facebook etc on Social Media
  • The Local, weekly newspaper is
  • the ONE PLACE where the WHOLE community
  • Meets together, once a week and
  • Unlike daily tabloids these local Papers ‘hang around’
  • ALL week, on kitchen tables, lounge room tables and maybe even next to the double bed,
  • ALL the important places we want them to be read – with food, conversation, and even sex!

5.   Getting to our Males? – who may be

  • Too busy? not interested?
  • more interested in sport/food/ alcohol, porn sites etc???
  • no criticism here THIS IS reality – no problem…
  • there is more that one way to kill a cat …
  • you make ALL adverts Female Friendly because
  • SHE will read it and be
  • more likely to understand it’s contents and the rest is easy
  • just let nature take it’s course’ and
  • leave the rest to a little
  • Pillow Talk!

6. These adverts are so very cost effective, e.g.

  • assume a local country newspaper with a readership of 25,000 and
  • a total discounted all up price printed,and delivered in the paper of
  • $500 per advert made up of half advertising space and
  • half admin/ type setting etc and something for the writer then
  • assuming a VERY conservative readership of
  • just 10% of the readership which is 2,500 readers
  • this life saving message costs a whopping
  • 20 cents per read.
  • Just how much is one life really worth
  • It is a whole lot more than 20 cents

7. So I can deliver 26 Fortnightly ‘long’ 300 word adverts

  • into 50 local weekly newspapers Australia wide
  • for a year for a paltry
  • $650,000
  • Again, just how much is one Aussies life REALLY worth

8. So doing ‘whole of Australia’ Suicide prevention

  • for ten years say
  • $650,000 x 10  and allowing for inflation
  • say $7 Million Dollars

9.   So I believe we could reasonably expect to reduce the suicide rate by 30%

  • by the end of this decade or save
  • 30% of 2,362 ( current average deaths last decade)
  • lives by 2024
  • A whopping
  • 700 lives per year
  • from 2024

10. Or a total financial cost per life saved (on original investment $7 Million)

  • of just $9,000.
  • How much is one Aussies life really worth???
  • It is a whole lot more
  • Than $9,000.
  • and a WHOLE LOT cheaper than spending
  • $55 Billion (recent past average of $5.5 Billion) x10  – over 10 years
  • On infrastructure.

Tim Barritt. 28.7.16.