“Lend Your Mate An Ear”: The Chats Pen Moving Open Letter On Mental Health After Fan Passes Away
"You may just save a life."
The Chats aren’t exactly known for their sincerity, but the band took a step back to share an open letter on the importance of reaching out to friends, after learning that one of their fans had passed away after struggling with depression.
— This article discusses suicide and depression —
The band shared a short and succinct letter on Instagram and Facebook on Monday, motivated by the death of Louie, a years-long “young fan”.
“He was a massive music fan and would often travel long distances to see his favourite bands,” they wrote. “We first met Louie at an underage show in Camden, just south of Sydney, and we were blown away and touched when he told us he’d drive all the way from Melbourne to see us.”
The band highlight the high rate of suicide within young Australian men, particularly among Indigenous communities.
“In Australia roughly 10 people per day take their own lives. This number is made up of mostly young men, and even more so in our Indigenous communities.”
The post ends with a call for anyone reading to reach out to their friends, stressing the importance of doing so during such a financially and emotionally unstable period.
“Depression is no joke, and especially during this time of self-isolation and economic hardship, we need to be asking all of our friends how they’re doing.”
“It’s okay to talk about it, lend your mate an ear, have a chat, you may just save a life.”
The band also include the numbers of Lifeline and Beyond Blue. Lifeline also offers a text-line service if you don’t feel up to chatting from 6pm to midnight AEST.
Last month, The Chats released their debut album, High Risk Behaviour: the music video for ‘Dine N Dash’ featured ‘Mr. Democracy Manifest’ himself, the previously lost star of a viral arrest video.
If you or someone you know needs support contact Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636, Lifeline on 13 11 14 or text-line 0477 13 11 14 (6pm-midnight AEST), or visit the government’s new coronavirus mental health portal at headtohealth.gov.au.