Mike King Questions and Mental Health Tips for Parents

Mental health campaigner Mike King offers mental health tips for parents and questions for all of us.

The former comedian offered advice when he joined host Simon Bridges on Stuff’s General Famous podcast. He also talked about his own battles with addiction, transitioning from stand-up, and cultural cancellation.

During the podcast, King, who aims to normalize the mental health conversation among young people through the I Am Hope Foundation, posed the following question:

“What are we doing to make it okay for everyone to reach out and ask for help? Not enough.

“I need to take off my mask of invincibility and start talking about what’s wrong with me. By being stoic, I’m having a devastating effect on my children’s lives.”

Mental Health Tips for Parents

King, a former New Zealand Player of the Year for his work in mental health, gave Bridges his first piece of advice.

• “Parents should show their children their weaknesses.”

He said his children told him they had stopped talking to their parents about their mental health because of the way they responded.

As an example, he told of a boy telling his father about his problems with his girlfriend. His father’s reply was:

“Don’t worry, son, it happens to everyone. Let me tell you what happened to my father.

“So what I think you’re saying to your kids is, ‘This is a universal shared experience, we all have.

“[But] What your son is hearing is, “So whenever I talk about me, you talk about you and how you got through it, so you’re the perfect captain and I can’t tell you anything.

King’s second piece of advice for parents is:

• “Stop telling your kids that you just want them to be happy.”

He explained, “Your children hear, ‘I can only talk to you when I’m happy. If I’m not happy, I’ll let you down.'”

mental health industry

King is a scathing critic of what he calls the mental health “industry.”

According to him, researchers and clinicians, “happily married people”, ask ordinary people (“capricious children”) what to do instead of listening to them. I’m telling you.

sauce

Where to find help and support:

• Anxiety New Zealand 0800 ANXIETY (0800 269 4389)
• Depression Helpline – 0800 111 757
• Lifeline – 0800 543 354 or (09) 5222 999 within Auckland
• Mental Health Foundation 09 623 4812
• need to talk? – call or text 1737
• Rural Assistance Trust 0800 787 254
• Samaritan – 0800 726 666
• Shakti Community Council – 0800 742 584
• Shine (domestic violence) – 0508 744 633
• Suicide Crisis Helpline – 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO)
• thelowdown.co.nz web chat, email chat, free text 5626
• What’s New – 0800 What’s New (0800 942 8787)
• Women’s Shelter – 0800 733 843 (0800 Shelter)
• Yellow Brick Road 0800 732 825
• Youthline – 0800 376 633, text 234, email talk@youthline.co.nz or online chat

additional reading

News Categories: new zealand.