It’s not always easy to tell when someone in your life is going through a rough patch. For men, it can be even harder to open up about struggles they may be facing.
That’s why we started the Real Talk series, in partnership with Movember, to raise awareness and have candid conversations about the state of men’s health. We had a chat with a variety of mental health experts, influencers and athletes to discuss topics involving Indigenous peoples struggle with navigating the healthcare system, informal carers for men, suicide and depression.
For our second installment, we spoke with Australian model and Influencer Leah Johnsen about her childhood and her dad’s struggles with alcohol addiction. Growing up, Leah’s father was absent from her life, leaving her feeling isolated and without support.
After recently becoming a mother, Leah has been re-evaluating her dad’s absence in a new light. While she’s been able to empathase with his struggle, becoming a parent has brought to the surface her own childhood trauma.
Even though she was just a kid, Leah found herself being an informal carer to her father. Over one in ten Australians are informal carers, with women making up 72% of them, providing emotional and logistical support to men struggling with health. A new report by Movember – The Real Face of Men’s Health found that 66% of women acting as an informal caregiver were more likely to experience worry or anxiety related to the role. 46% of women were also found to also experience depression while being an informal carer.
The report also found that most informal caregivers often have to sacrifice their time and careers to support men in poor health. 36% have to either leave or change their jobs or reduce their working hours, to help the man they look after.
We spoke to Leah about her experience being an informal caregiver to her father and the ripple effects that had on her family.
You can read more about Leah’s story here on our Instagram.
The post Real Talk: Leah Johnsen Shares How Her Dad’s Alcohol Addiction Impacted Her Family appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
