Akok Deng brought his family from war-torn South Sudan to Australia to give them a better future.
That dream was shattered when Mr Deng left his family at home, in Pendle Hill in Sydney’s west, to visit his homeland last year.
While he was away, he received news his 19-year-old son, Aleu Aleu, had taken his own life.
“It (the depression) started in college and the school counsellor told him to go to the mental health [clinic],” Mr Deng said.
“I followed his treatment and I left him [for South Sudan] with very clear [instructions] and everything was OK.
“Before I left, I spoke to him and told him to look after the family as my eldest son.
“When I was away he started to not use his medication regularly.”
Mr Deng said he now wanted to challenge stigmas around mental illness, which still prevailed in many migrant communities, to prevent more youth suicides.
“I encourage myself to talk about this so another tragedy like this can be stopped,” he said.
“It is not a shame, it’s an illness. But in our [South Sudanese] community it is a shame.”
Last month, scores of local residents held a street march in Auburn, in Sydney’s west, to raise awareness about suicide prevention.
It was the first of several planned events after a community forum on suicide earlier this year, where members of more than 80 different cultural groups raised concerns about the issue.
Community partnerships to tackle stigma
Auburn Salvation Army Captain Nesan Kistan said many local families were struggling to deal with the social and cultural stigma around suicide.
“We’re dealing with a number of families in our local community that are dealing with incredible trauma and pain because they feel isolated,” he said.
“There are mental health issues that just aren’t talked about.”
Captain Kistan, who has been working in the field for more than 10 years, said culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities like those in Auburn were “far more vulnerable” to suicide.
“I believe the issues of suicide are phenomenally high in western Sydney,” he said.
“The subject of suicide is seen as, from a religious point of view, as unacceptable.
“There are religious and cultural challenges for people to actually share what’s going on for them.”
Language barriers and difficulty finding employment contributed to feelings of isolation, he said.
“Most people would say their family networks are diminished,” Captain Kistan said.
“They leave traumatised countries; they come to a country like Australia expecting everything to be OK.”
Auburn MP Barbara Perry said suicide was a “silent killer” in the community.
“Where we have this very diverse multicultural community, the issue of tragedy such as this isn’t talked about out in the open,” she said.
“We can’t continue to sweep it under the carpet; we need to talk about it.”
Ms Perry and Captain Kistan are working on a partnership with CALD communities to tackle the issue.
“We need to have assertive community engagement,” Ms Perry said.
Trauma of war fuels mental health issues
Auburn resident and South Sudanese youth leader Augustino Dut said suicide had been tragic for his community.
“It is kind of tearing the whole community apart,” he said.
“Last year, for example, we had three losses [in Sydney]; two young adults and an elderly person.”
He said young people struggled to access services after arriving in Australia, and the idea of counselling was often considered foreign.
Longar Akol, the youth leader for the NSW South Sudanese Youth Association, said alcohol and drug abuse were prevalent among South Sudanese immigrants, who often had traumatic memories of war.
“Drinking is not a common culture within our community,” he said.
“When young people arrive in this country and turn 18, they have an opportunity to drink and it becomes habit.”
Mr Akol said social services needed to better tailor to the cultural sensitivities of South Sudanese youth.
If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, call Lifeline on 13 11 14, the Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467 or beyondblue on 1300 224 636.