This was the message delivered by Australian of the Year Professor Patrick McGorry to Bunbury teen Jesse Hands at a Critical Horizons mental health conference last week.

Prof McGorry addre-ssed local health professionals and community groups about Australia’s mental health burden at Edith Cowan University South West.

Seventeen-year-old Jesse is the ambassador for Bunbury’s Headspace committee, a group determined to bring the countrywide wellbeing centre to town.

Jesse told the Bunbury Mail that meeting Prof McGorry was a humbling and enlightening experience.

“Having come to terms with my own mental health and broken through some huge barriers, it was even better to be able to speak to someone who has made such a huge difference with Headspace,” he said.

Prof McGorry painted a grim picture of the current state of the country’s mental health system.

He said there was neglect everywhere you looked and the government did not have faith in the health department to “mop up the mess.”

“Mental ill health represents 60 per cent of the health burden on young Australians – and it’s getting worse,” he said.

“Only 13 per cent of young men and 31 per cent of young women with mental ill health get the help and care they need.

“What if those figures were applied to people with cancer?”

He also said every three hours an Australian died from suicide and it was an issue which needed to be freely discussed.

“We need to attack and reduce the suicide toll the same as the road toll has been reduced,” he said.

“It’s still a taboo subject but it needs to be addressed.”

Jesse revealed that he has been invited to meet with Headspace chief executive officer Chris Tanti this Friday to put forward Bunbury’s case for the service.

“It’s the first major step forward,” Jesse said.

“Also there’s a rumour that next year the whole Canberra Headspace co-mmittee as well as the Mental Health Board of WA and Prof Mcgorry will spend a whole day in Bunbury to assess its need for a Headspace.

“We are going to blow their minds with what we have to present.”