How a phone call changed this Aussie teen's life
By 9Honey|
While it might be a festive time of year and one filled with Christmas cheer, but for many Aussie kids it can be a time filled with anxiety.
The holiday period often sees a spike in young people struggling to cope, as those they love celebrate around them.?
For Molly, her teen years hid a dark pain despite being the picture of the "girl next door".
"My time at school wasn't easy. I didn't have a lot of friends," she told A Current Affair.
"As I got older and social media came into play the bullying started to come home with me as well."
These taunts became harder to ignore and with her mum Sue battling leukaemia, Molly was suffering in silence.
"It was horrendous, absolutely horrendous. We had no idea that she was suffering to that extent," Sue told ACA.
"As a mother I always thought that I would be able to make things okay, and I couldn't," she added.
Jon from Kids Helpline told ACA it can be hard for parents to identify.
"In retrospect we can look back at the signs. An unhappiness with everything, an unwillingness to do things, unwillingness to change," Jon said.
In her darkest moments, Molly turned to Kids Helpline - Australia's only free 24 hour counselling service.?It's a phone call that would save her life.
"To talk to someone who listened, who felt like they didn't judge and actually gave some helpful advice was amazing.?
"It was a little bit of a game changer for me."
Molly's was just one of eight million calls answered by the service over the past 20 years - that's about a call a minute.
But even still, it's hard to keep up with the demand and there are calls are going unanswered.
"We have a 130 counsellors, we are really working hard to respond to as many as we can but, we are not meeting the full service," Tracey Adams, CEO of Kids Helpline told ACA.
Cyberbullying is a growing epidemic in Australia - up by 63 per cent in 2017.
"The bullying doesn't stop at school, it comes home with you," Molly said of her experience.?
"You see, not only people attacking you, but you see other people attacking other people."
It's estimate 378,000 Aussies aged between 14 and 25 were bullied online last year.
While one third of those people sought professional help, alarmingly more than 50,000 remained silent.
The disturbing trend can cause a number of issues for kids, including anxiety and depression.
It's also an issue that's cost Aussie taxpayers an estimated $30 million in the past four years.
Dr Richard Kid, Australian Medical Association's Chair of General Practices says it's not a simple fix and GPs are being swamped.
"It's not just one visit to a psychologist or one visit to a GP.
"By the time kids present for help they are often looking at probably 10 visits to a psychologist."
Molly says the Kids Helpline service was invaluable to her and believes it's "so useful for so many people".
"You could just be going through a bit of a hard time, having a fight with a friend, concerned about a friend who is depressed."
Kids Helpline counsellor Leo Hede advises parents: "Allow your children to reach out, if they are not comfortable to speak with you, just know they are speaking with someone and hopefully getting the support that they need."
"Stay calm, feel equipped and allow a child to present to you in a way that you know that they are going to come back because, having those conversations and normalising them is critical," Tracey added.
If you or anyone you know is struggling or need assistance, contact Kids Helpline online or on 1800 55 1800.
