Auction next step in mental health quest
A SIXYEAR battle with depression inspired a young student to give proceeds from her jewellery business to a cause close to her heart — and now she is taking it a step further, auctioning a pair of diamondstudded gold earrings for charity.
Alesha Pyers (21) was studying neuroscience at the University of Otago last year when her mental health deteriorated, and she ended up at the emergency department and then the cardiac ward at Dunedin Hospital after a suicide attempt.
While recovering in her hometown of Nelson, Ms Pyers realised she should follow her passions and enrolled at Otago
Polytechnic to study fashion design.
Ms Pyers has created and sold about 200 pairs of colourful acrylic earrings in the past two months under her ‘‘Alesha Kerry Collections’’ brand, and gives $5 to mental health charities for each pair sold.
The pieces, cut by laser to look like the electrical image of a heartbeat, are not just statement earrings. They are intended to serve as conversationstarters, encouraging people to talk about mental health.
‘‘That could have saved me multiple times. I needed that conversation,’’ Ms Pyers said.
She teamed up with Nelson jewellers Benjamin Black Goldsmiths to create a gold and diamond version of the earrings, which will be auctioned online between August 18 and September 2.
All proceeds will go to Voices of Hope, and the Life Matters Suicide Prevention Trust.
Ms Pyers said she was diagnosed with depression at 15, and it had been an ‘‘interesting sixyear journey’’ learning to deal with her illness.
‘‘That’s where my drive is from. I don’t want anyone to ever have to feel that way,’’ she said.
She had her own website, and received personal messages from customers, as well as orders.
‘‘A lot of people have shared their experiences with mental health and suicide and how it’s affected their lives.’’
The polytechnic had been very supportive of her work, and she hoped to branch out into other products in the future, as she had ‘‘a million ideas’’.
‘‘I hope it starts up something pretty big.’’
A CLINICAL psychologist looking at the dynamics between clinicians and patients at risk of suicide has won the top prize at the University of Otago’s Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition.
The regional competition, which challenges postgraduate students to present their thesis ideas in brief format, was held on August 3.
Thirdyear PhD student Tess Soulie, based on the Wellington campus in the Suicide and Mental Health Research Group, said a lot of clinicians found dealing with suicidal patients inspired ‘‘intense and often negative’’ emotions.
However, in a survey of 267 mental health practitioners, Ms Soulie found just under 15% agreed they ‘‘liked’’ dealing with the patients.
She was interested in why they enjoyed a job which most people found ‘‘very, very challenging’’, and interviewed 12 psychiatrists, psycho
therapists and psychologists around New Zealand in the course of her PhD research.
‘‘Those people I’ve talked to feel they are doing something deeply meaningful, and fundamentally humane,’’ she said.
The therapists who did not say they ‘‘liked’’ working with patients at risk of suicide still did it, but she thought they might find the idea of enjoying it challenging.
‘‘It doesn’t mean that they don’t do the job or they don’t do it well.’’
Ms Soulie trained as a clinical psychologist in France, and worked in French Guiana before travelling to New Zealand to study.
She was very grateful to the health professionals who participated, and said they ‘‘shared their wisdom for their patients’ sake’’.
The Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition was an ‘‘awesome opportunity’’, she said.
Ms Soulie was preparing to travel to Brisbane for the AsiaPacific 3MT finals in September.
The winner of the Master’s category was genetics student Yasmin Nouri, for her work into hereditary stomach cancer. She will travel to the national finals at the University of Canterbury on August 23.
The ‘‘people’s choice’’ PhD winner was English and linguistics student Emer Lyons.
The ‘‘people’s choice’’ Master’s winner was microbiology student Chris Kaldor.