What I Wish They Knew

WHAT I WISH they KNEW

a mental health movement to help us understand you better

We've all been through dark times in our lives. I know I have. Whether its a season of depression, panic attacks, the breakdown of a relationship, or the death of a loved one - life can hit us hard. We want to do our best to help people in the midst those tough times, but we need your help. We want to know, what do you wish the people around you (family, friends, boss, teachers, etc.) knew, did or said. Conversely, there may be some things they did that you really appreciated. We will use this information to create educational support programs so that everyone knows the best way to care for, and support everyone else. With your story, you can help us help someone like you face their challenges with more support.

Without mentioning names or key identifying information, below, share as little or as much as you want, about what you went through, and what you wish your family, friends, boss, workmates etc. knew or did (or you wish they didn't do or say). To give an example, here is my story below:

"When I was a student in Australia, I was diagnosed with depression. I had no energy at all to do my studies, do anything around the house, or meet people. Even worse, I was suicidal. I rarely saw my friends at the time, even though many of them invited me out. I would be outside, and suddenly feel very alone for no reason. I wish they knew that I hated myself for that, and that I felt so bad for canceling on them again and again, but it physically hurt how sad I felt. But they kept inviting me, and that made me feel cared for. In terms of my studies, I felt like a failure, and I wish someone was there to acknowledge that I was doing my best. No matter what I did, I couldn't make it better. At the time, my dad and I didn't have a great relationship, we fought all the time. I wish he knew how much I was suffering our family problems had caused me"

I consent to my story being used to help develop emotional health programs to help people like me get the support they need

I consent to my story being quoted on this website and future presentations, without age or gender information

ABOUT US

This project is led by Sandersan (Sandy) Onie, a psychology PhD Candidate at UNSW Sydney and founder of Institute of Emotional Health Indonesia, in partnership with Benny Prawira, the founder of Into the Light. Having fought mental illnesses ourselves, and seeing others around us locked in the battle, we are passionate to see Indonesian mental health improve, and are working relentlessly to see this happen.

sandersan (sandy) onie

Post-Doctoral Researcher, Black Dog Institute

Mental Health, Experimental Psychology and Statistics Expert

www.sandyonie.com

Twitter: @SandersanOnie

benny prawira

Masters of Social Health Psychology, Atma Jaya

Suicidologist and Mental Health Expert

Founder and Head Coordinator of Into the Light

www.intothelightid.org

Twitter: @bennysiauw89

CONTACT US

If you would like to give feedback or suggestions, and/or partner with to gather information specific to your organization or bring the campaign to your country, use the data for your research, or discuss future projects, please contact us below. Furthermore, website maintenance is all funded out of pocket, please consider contacting us to make a donation for this cause.

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