‘Lifeline were crucial in helping me to get through the night’

SHE’S a vibrant, articulate business student but there was a time, not too long ago, when this 25-year-old could see little to live for.

TODAY is a special day for Lifeline. A once in a lifetime day, you could say.

Why? Today’s date — 13/11/14 — coincides with Lifeline’s phone number — 13 11 14.

So it’s the ideal time to pause and pay tribute to the telephone crisis line service 735,000 Australians use every year — Australians like 25-year-old Tanya Kretschmann.

Tanya is a vibrant, articulate student, about to graduate from a bachelor of business and fine arts (dance) from Queensland University of Technology. But there was a time, not too long ago, when Tanya could see little to live for.

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“I’ve struggled with mental illness for a considerable period of my life,” Tanya explains to news.com.au.

“I struggled with an eating disorder, anxiety and depression, probably more severely from age 14. Moving to Brisbane at 17, things started to get more stressful. I started using my eating disorder behaviours to cope. I became more anxious and stressed.”

As Tanya’s struggles got worse, she spent time in hospital, and became trapped in what she calls a period of “going around in circles”.

Tanya has also used Lifeline’s online service, because “typing means you physically can’t be doing anything you shouldn’t be.”

“I first called Lifeline in 2010, after I had started to seek help with my eating disorder. I was in and out of outpatient programs, and I was struggling to come to terms with the stigma attached to having a mental illness. I’d been hospitalised a couple of times for my eating disorder and the fact that I was medically unstable. I have tried to take my own life.

“I called Lifeline one evening when I was struggling with the fact that I just wasn’t getting any better. I felt that I was going round in circles. I couldn’t bear to face the next day.

“Lifeline were crucial in helping me to get through the night. They have been the voice of reason. They’ve given me that moment to stop and think before I do anything irrational.

“When I go through the cycles of depression I isolate myself from my treatment teams, my family and friends, because I don’t want to worry them. Harming yourself or wanting to die isn’t something very easy to talk to family and friends about. If you’re terrified of your own thoughts, it’s so hard to understand how someone else could understand.

“Lifeline is just beautiful because one, it’s there when I’m too emotional and unable to be reasonable, and they allow you to talk through that. And two, it gives you that voice of reason you need at that time. Family tend to respond to something like that emotionally, which is so understandable, but it’s not always helpful for the person concerned. You need someone who is going to be understanding and patient, who can give you practical suggestions like ways to keep yourself safe, that kind of thing. They help you feel like you have a choice.”

Tanya’s looking forward to Christmas “for the first time in eternity.”

Tanya is now better than she has been in years. She’s enrolled in a Master’s degree for next year, and is looking forward to Christmas at home with her older brother and parents “for the first time in eternity.

“I have friends now and I can go out for dinners. I’m back at university studying which I haven’t been able to do for the four years prior. You still have your ups and downs, happiness isn’t something that’s static, but I’m more adept at recognising the point at which I should be reaching out for help, and the triggers that get me into hard cycles.

“I’ve found that the more you reach out, the more you get support and stops your situation from snowballing. But I didn’t articulate anything until I spoke to Lifeline. Telling a stranger first made it easier for me to tell family, friends, and doctors.

“I think it’s really important that people know they’re worthy of help. It doesn’t matter how big or small you feel like your problem is, you are worthy of help. If you’re struggling, reach out — Lifeline is there for a reason.”

Today, Lifeline’s crisis line answers over 2,000 calls each day. Unfortunately, around 150,000 calls to their 13 11 14 number went unanswered last financial year. To help ensure all calls to Lifeline are answered, please donate to shoutforgood.com/donate/lifeline.

If you or someone you know is in need of crisis or suicide prevention support, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or visit www.lifeline.org.au/gethelp