Occupational Health

A newsagent suicided two weeks ago leaving a young family without a parent and a business without leadership. Things had been tough for the business with landlord challenges and difficulties dealing with magazine supply. Colleague newsagents had suggested help was needed. Unfortunately, the first meeting to sort out help was two days too late.

I have known about this situation since it happened and wondered whether to write about it here. This is not the first newsagent suicide I have heard of. Each situation is different and it is unlikely anyone knows all of the factors involved.

I am writing about this today because we need to talk about mental health, the mental health of small business newsagents and how we can deal with challenges where we feel helpless. We need to work together to help any who may feel that suicide is the only option. When I say we, I mean all of us in this channel: newsagents, associations and suppliers including landlords.

Some landlord representatives are bullies. They push small business owners into a corner. I hear too many stories of intimidation of small business owners who are in vulnerable situations.

Some of our suppliers are bullies. They create financial stress and add to this by cutting off product supply when accounts over which the small business newsagents have little control are not paid on time. yes, I am talking about magazine distributors here as they control supply, they control the level of indebtedness and they, sometimes, place newsagents under extraordinary personal pressure to pay them ahead of other creditors.

These people dealing with small business newsagents need to take care in their communication, they need to be aware of the emotional and other consequences of their actions and words, or their  refusal to act. They need to consider decisions of the company they represent that could have helped create the situation. They need to consider their culpability.

I am all for personal accountability and often say we need to own our own situation – we sign our leases, we sign magazine contracts. However, we do these things expecting fairness. Too often there are people of the other side of a commercial relationship who do not believe in the same fairness.

It is hard to know the mental health of anyone. That person smiling at you or joking with you could be in a dark place in their mind. This is why it is important we talk and ask colleagues how they are doing and why we all need to help when we think help could be what is needed.

We owe it to each other in small business to do this. I think it starts with talking openly with each other about challenges and how we feel about them and their impact on us personally. It can start within the business with more open communication among all involved. Sometimes, the initiative for this will have to come from the team communicating up to the owner, to open the discussion.

Our suppliers need to play a role. Take the accounts department at a magazine distributor. They are probably the first to see a newsagency in a stressed situation. They have details of calls and emails that can reflect on the mental health of the newsagent in contact with them who is struggling to pay the bills. What do they do about this? Do they have a process of care and support for the business or do they aggressively pursue payment of the debt? My experience is they do the latter with considerable intensity. They will say they can’t do much because of privacy obligations. I’d say that is nonsense. Lives are at stake.

Given the early warning signs in the accounts department of magazine distribution businesses they ought to have a process for rallying support for a newsagent in trouble.

Owning and running a small business can be tough – on families, relationships, finances and your mental health. The ABC published a terrific report about mental illness and small business. I urge you to read this and share it. At the bottom of the ABC article is an excellent list of resources:

Mental health crises don’t always happen during office hours. But if you find yourself having to help someone there are people who can help – at any time.

National crisis and counselling contacts available 24/7:

• Ambulance/police/fire – 000
• Lifeline – 13 1114
• Kids Help Line – 1800 55 1800 – Provides counselling and support for young people aged 5-25.
• Men’s Line Australia – 1300 78 99 78 – Provides counselling and support services for men – especially those involved in the breakdown of relationships.
• Suicide Call Back service – 1300 659 467 – Provides free nationwide professional telephone or online counseling.

Other national information and support services contacts available during business hours:

• beyondblue information line – 1300 22 4636
• SANE Helpline – 1800 18 SANE (1800 18 7263)
• Telstra directory assistance – 1223 Call this number for contact details to the nearest public hospital, which can provide information on local services.

State-based resources

NSW

• Salvo Crisis Line (suicide prevention) – 02 8736 3295
• Salvo Care Line (regional) – 1300 36 36 22
• Salvo Youth Line – 02 9360 3000

Victoria

• Suicide Line – 1300 651 251
• Victorian Government Mental Health Advice Line – 1300 280 737

South Australia

• South Australian Assessment and Crisis Intervention Service – 131 465

Western Australia

• Mental Health Emergency Response Line – 1300 555 788 for Peel residents 1800 676 822
• Rurallink Psychiatric Emergency Team – 1800 552 002 | TTY: 1800 720 101 (rural WA only)
• Samaritans Suicide Emergency Line – 1800 198 313
• Crisis Care Helpline – 1800 199 008 | TTY: 08 9325 1232

Tasmania

• Tasmanian Mental Health Services Helpline – 1800 332 388

Australian Capital Territory

• Mental Health Triage Service/Crisis Assessment and Treatment Team – 1800 629 354

Northern Territory

• Northern Territory Crisis Assessment Telephone Triage and Liaison – 1800 NTCATT (1800 682 288)

Queensland

• 13 HEALTH – 13 432 584

General information about depression

Black Dog Institue

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