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21/10/2017
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Matt Gilbertson, The Advertiser October 21, 2017 11:30am
WHEN she was crowned Miss Universe Australia in July, Olivia Rogers opened up about her own battles with depression and anxiety.
Now, as she prepares to represent Australia in the Miss Universe international pageant in Las Vegas next month, Rogers is speaking for the first time of the mental illness issues that have touched her family in the hope of “raising the conversation” with others.
Miss Universe Australia winner Olivia Rogers as a bub with her dad Mark
“My dad has bipolar. I haven’t actually spoken about it publicly before,” Rogers told the Sunday Mail this week.
“He’s a doctor and I think there’s a stigma around bipolar where people think that people with it can’t function.”
“They picture a man who’s stuck in bed, unable to do anything.”
“But Dad is working full-time, helping people every single day, and he’s just amazing.”
Rogers, 25, has signed on as an ambassador for Movember’s Move campaign alongside Adelaide Crows women’s co-captain Chelsea Randall.
While the men can get involved in Movember by growing a moustache, the women hope the Move campaign engages the community to be more open to discussing mental health issues for men.
Miss World Australia Olivia Rogers and Adelaide Crows co-captain Chelsea Randall. Picture: Tricia Watkinson
Rogers’ father, Mark, has battled with bipolar disorder for most of his life. She says mental illness was discussed openly in the family home.
“I probably first became aware of it when I was about 11,” she said.
“We sat down with my grandpa, who is a doctor as well, and he explained it to us kids. They’re medical professionals, so they’re both quite practical about it.
“Like any other illness, they can understand the causes and the symptoms, but of course it’s different for every person and every bout of mental illness can be different.
“It can be really tough, but I treat it like any other disease. If he had cancer and it kept popping up, I wouldn’t run the other way, I would do all I could to help him. It’s the same with mental illness – you’ve just got to be there.”
Crows star Randall said: “It’s a conversation that we all know men are less likely to have with each other. I know myself, when I’m not feeling right, getting out there for a run or a game of footy really does change the mindset.”
Randall said the conversation was important not only for people who might be suffering with mental illness but also for those around them.
“For others in the family who are around someone struggling, it can be difficult to separate the person from the illness at times. You really have to be able to say ‘I hate this illness right now, but I love this person’,” she said. “I think we all have a long way to go, but we are getting better.”
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