A piece from headspace Chief Executive Chris Tanti

Most of us are acutely aware of the staggering and appalling differences in health outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.

We know the statistics on suicide, self-harm and other severe mental health issues and very few amongst us would not be troubled by what we hear.

Death rates from suicide for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and women are twice the rate for the rest of the population, with a distressing concentration of numbers during the adolescent and early adult years. Consider this. A young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander male is four times more likely to complete suicide than other Australian men.

Rates of intentional self-harm among young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are 5.2 times the rate of non-Indigenous young people. Almost one-third of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have high or very high levels of psychological distress-more than twice the rate of young non-Indigenous Australians. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people are hospitalised more commonly for mental and behavioural disorders, at 1.8 times the non-Indigenous rate. The leading causes are schizophrenia, alcohol misuse and reactions to severe stress.

We also know these young people do not access community or outpatient mental health services at a level that is proportionate with their need. Ten per cent of the health gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians in 2003 has been linked to mental health conditions and a further 4 per cent is attributable to suicide.

For those of us who work with young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, the statistics are all too familiar.

But statistics can be emotionless and impersonal. They do not show the reality of the lives of these young people and their families and the long-lasting impact mental illness can have. Statistics don't convey the confusion, shame, racism, marginalisation, social isolation and disadvantage these young people experience every day.

What is needed is a nuanced and holistic approach to supporting young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

A focus on the strength and resilience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people, and their families and communities, is essential. There are critical strengths in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities that should be acknowledged and supported. These include kinship, family and community, spirituality, and culture and cultural identity

As a start we must acknowledge the ongoing impact of colonisation on the social and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. Health services must support and encourage empowerment, self-determination and cultural strength for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians and communities, and build the capacity and sustainability of initiatives that support family and community wellbeing.

Community-based approaches to mental health care are required, which are culturally appropriate and that prioritise prevention and health promotion. This requires health service providers to have the essential skills of cultural awareness, competence and safety.

The supporting structure for this is the development of health workforce strategies that enable effective recruitment and retention of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians and the promotion of the active participation of young people in youth advisory groups and other channels related to youth mental health.

Two years ago headspace set out on a path that had not been traversed before - to create an engagement campaign that would encourage young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to seek help when needed. But this was a campaign with a difference. It was, and still is, the first co-designed and youth-led national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth mental health campaign of its kind.

'Yarn Safe' was developed with a group of 12 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people from across Australia. The campaign aims to improve mental health literacy among this group and encourage them to get help at headspace centres located around the country or other appropriate mental health services.

Already headspace has seen dramatic increases in the number of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people walking through our doors, increasing from 7.6 per cent to almost 10 per cent in just a few months.

headspace and the AFL Player's Association partnered on the next iteration of the campaign, which featured AFL stars Chad Wingard, Cyril Rioli and Neville Jetta during Indigenous Round this past weekend.

The importance of these three young men, who are respected by their communities for their activities both on and off the field, cannot be overstated. They fearlessly face the camera and say there is no shame in talking it out.

I am proud headspace has had the opportunity to collaborate with the AFLPA and Chad, Cyril and Neville to take yet another step in this long but worthy journey to close the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.