Gary Rounds has battled to overcome his demons in this domain and is now set to share his unique experience of depression with the delegates attending the 2013 Pacific Youth and Sports Conference (PYASC) in Noumea, New Caledonia early next month.
Rounds, now an advocate for suicide prevention and mental health in Fiji and the Pacific, says after being diagnosed with severe depression, he was more afraid of the stigma attached to the illness than the condition itself.
“I thought about how people would approach me, socialise with me or judge me,” he said.
“After coming out of St. Giles Psychiatric Hospital, I struggled to live a ‘normal’ life. The stigma attached to mental illness was an issue I had to deal with.”
Following his discharge Rounds took some time out, which proved a life-changing decision.
“It allowed me to learn more about myself. I struggled with my sense of worth and my sense of belonging,” he said.
“It was the tremendous support of my family and friends that I began to have a sense of normalcy return to my life. For five years I’ve learnt new coping strategies to deal with my depression and my stressors.”
Rounds’ struggle with mental illness is unique to him, but the issue of mental illness and the grip it has on youth around the Pacific is on the rise.
He believes addressing this issue, creating greater awareness and encouraging discussion can only benefit the region’s youth.
“I believe that suicide is a major issue facing youth in Oceania. A lot more awareness of mental health and suicide prevention needs to be created.
“PYASC is providing another platform where I get to talk about my life’s struggles with and triumph over depression and I am grateful for this opportunity,” Rounds said.
“Though I will be giving just a speech, I hope to inspire and motivate the participants to start talking about mental health, well-being and mental illness.
“Get them to assess what stresses them, how they cope with their stresses, and finding and adopting positive coping strategies.”
Rounds says PYASC is a unique opportunity to discuss the issues that the youth of Oceania face.
“It allows delegations from the region to gain more knowledge and insight from the experts about the three conference themes and how they can incorporate them for themselves.”
And he has outcomes of his own that he would like to see following the five-day event.
“I hope to learn how sports can be used as an advocacy tool to effectively create awareness and change behaviour about mental health and mental illness.”
PYASC is being held at the Arene du Sud de Paita in Noumea, New Caledonia from 2-7 December, 2013. Up to 1000 youth delegates from countries around the Pacific are set to come together for the conference.