Peter tackles men’s mental health

Peter Lienesch with his wife Kelly Lienesch. Photo Ian Cole/TWH

Story: Tricia Duffield

Almost five years ago, Peter Lienesch went public with his battle against depression.

As a well-known Bourke family man and tradie, speaking publicly about mental illness was not only surprising, but brave.

At the time, Peter wasn’t on a crusade. He spoke out because he knew he wasn’t the only man burdened with depression. Today, he continues to encourage others to reach out for help, as he did, and to change their lives.

Peter pointed out that mental health help is readily available – the real challenge is in getting men to admit they need mental health support.

“There are people you can talk to and there are resources in our community so if you need someone to talk to, you absolutely can. There’s no excuse not to find somebody to talk to,” he said.

“If you start off seeking out a close family member, a work colleague, or even a good mate that you can trust and confide in, who’ll listen to you and give you simple advice, that’s a big help.

“There can be a lot of relief when you realise that you are not the only one suffering from anxiety or depression”.

Peter said there was less stigmatising of mental illness today and that just seeing someone else admit they were struggling with mental health was often the catalyst for seeking help.

“It’s been a big education, particularly for men, but across mental health generally, to de-stigmatise it and get people to reach out to each other, because I’m sure if one person says, ‘listen, I’m struggling’, then someone else might say back to them, ‘hey, I’ve got a struggle as well’, and it’s a shared thing, and sharing can lessen the stress and struggle” he said.

“If the right person hears that and realises ‘oh, I haven’t been feeling so well myself’, he might get the confidence to get some help or talk to someone, so I do feel that more people talking about it is helping to get rid of this stigma, and the embarrassment of not wanting to talk.

“That’s especially what I’ve found in the last four or five years dealing with it personally – blokes coming up to me and going, ‘oh, hey, mate, since you’ve said something on the radio or in the paper a couple of years ago, I’ve gone to the doctor for help, and so I feel there’s been a really good flow-on effect from all of that.

“And the more blokes that come out and be open and honest, then it can only encourage other blokes to do the same,” Peter said. […]

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