Advocate says it's about listening

Although he is officially on a speaking tour, mental health advocate Mike King says talking will not take up too much of his time in Dunedin.

''We spend most of our time listening, as opposed to lecturing,'' he says.

''We don't come in with a prescriptive approach telling kids what to do.''

Mr King, touring as an ambassador for the youth-focused I Am Hope support group founded by his Key To Life charity, visited two schools and gave one public talk yesterday.

He will speak twice more and attend a private function today.

The former stand-up comedian proved a hit in his first engagement yesterday, talking to years 9 and 10 pupils from Queen's High School, with the audience laughing heartily within minutes.

''We normalise the biggest crisis in mental health, which is having an overactive inner critic,'' Mr King said.

''Other people tell you it is depression and anxiety, but self-talk leads to depression and anxiety; we can help young people to recognise themselves in other people's stories, and to see how many other people are affected by it.

''There is comfort in knowing that you are not alone.''

Mr King is accompanied on his Otago tour by Hailey Smith, an 18-year-old who shares her story of mental health and self-harm issues.

''I am still dealing with it and that's the biggest thing, that I am honest about that,'' she said.

''It is not something that you get over overnight, it is a constant challenge of learning how to live with and deal with it.''

While Mr King is well-known to the parents of his young audiences, teenagers generally do not know him - making youth ambassadors like Ms Smith a vital part of the presentation.

''It's a part of my healing process,'' Ms Smith said.

''It breaks my heart to see so many people in the same position I was in five years ago, but if someone had come into my school and normalised this when I was younger, I would never have gone down the path that I did.

''Making myself vulnerable means people can come up and be vulnerable to me, and talk about what they are facing.''

Mr King, the 2019 New Zealander of the Year, said despite the Government's inquiry into mental health and addiction and the release of a national suicide prevention strategy last week, there was a long way to go before mental health statistics improved.

''This thing isn't going to be fixed overnight,' he said.

''The area we work in is the area of most need and currently the Government and ministries are funding the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff; what we are doing is building fences at the top.

''We are asking people, what are you doing to make it OK for people to come to you and reach out for help.''

mike.houlahan@odt.co.nz

Need help?
Healthline 0800 611 116
Lifeline Aotearoa 0800 543 354
Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO)
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General mental health inquiries: 0800 44 33 66
The Depression Helpline 0800 111 757