Settling in a new country comes with many challenges.
Finding housing, education, employment is stressful and can have an impact on mental health.
One in five Australians experience mental illness every year.
Bronwyn Hall is the head at Community Support Services at beyondblue, an organisation working to address issues associated with mental disorders.
She says that adapting to a new culture can put your mental health at risk.
“Often it's the stress and the complications of settling in a new country. There's a lot of anxiety and pressure associated when you have to learn a new language and learn the new systems of a new country. Finding education, settling your children, finding housing and employment and just working with social security systems. All those sorts of things because they're new and often quite different from countries where people have come from."
While, some communities only use mental health services at a very low rate, it's important to know that services are available, for free and in many languages.
Ruth Das works for Mental Health Australia.
Ruth Das says the first place to go to is your GP.
Depending on where you live in Australia, you should be able to get mental health support in your language.
If you want to have a chat about what you're going through or if you'd like to speak with somebody right away, you can call a free helpline like beyondblue at 1300 22 4636 or Lifeline at 13 11 14.
You can also chat with somebody online at beyondblue.org.au and lifeline.org.au.
Beyondblue's Bronwyn Hall says that you can call for yourself or on behalf of a loved one.
Alan Woodward is the Executive Director for Strategy and Research at Lifeline.
He says that one in ten callers to Lifeline has a first language that's not English.
If they need to get support in their first language, they can first call the Translating and Interpreting Service.
No matter how you decide to go about it, Woodward says it's important to ask for help when you need it.
If you'd like to access mental health support, make an appointment with your GP or call a free helpline like beyondblue at 1300 22 4636 or Lifeline at 13 11 14.
SBS brings you a new two-part documentary series - How ‘Mad’ Are You? – which takes a unique look at mental health, airing over two weeks, starting Thursday 11 October at 8.30pm on SBS and SBS On Demand.
