LISA O’MALLEY will talk about the time she called Lifeline when she hit her “lowest point” and thought she wasn’t the mum her son needed, at a Conversations about Suicide forum in Myaree on Sunday.

The Bicton Labour MP has previously talked about her brother Michael, who sadly committed suicide in 2014, to encourage people struggling with their mental health to seek help and not suffer in silence.

This time she will open up about her own struggles.

“Twenty years ago, when my son was only two years old, I was at my lowest point and felt that I wasn’t the mother he needed,” says Ms O’Malley.

“It was a time of change in my life – I became a mum, started up a small business with my husband, and there were the typical financial pressures that come with those things, but life was good with a loving and supportive partner, a healthy child, close-knit family and wonderful friends.

“I had no reason to be unwell, I just was. That’s the thing with mental illness, it does not discriminate. Anyone can suffer. Back then I used to ask myself, ‘Why me?’ The simple answer was ‘Why not me?’

“I reached out to Lifeline WA, and it was a turning point.”

• Bicton MP Lisa O’Malley.

Ms O’Malley says mental health problems should be discussed openly like any other ailment.

“We need to get rid of the stigma attached with reaching out for help,” she says.

“I have recently been diagnosed with arthritis which I am learning to manage with professional help, just like I did with my mental health 20 years ago.

“I am passionate about normalising conversations around mental health because in my experience not talking about mental health doesn’t help.”

A former worker in the health and fitness industry, Ms O’Malley now manages her wellbeing by “making time for fitness, family, friends and fun.”

“Prioritising overall health and fitness is not just important, it’s an absolute necessity for me to maintain good mental health,” she says.

Hosted by Lifeline WA and the Baha’i Community of Melville, the free forum will provide a safe and inclusive space to discuss the importance of mental health and wellbeing.

Ms O’Malley will be joined by Lifeline WA telephone crisis supporter Virginia Bradshaw and counselling psychologist Hoda Golestani.

“My brother Michael has been gone 10 years now but the impact of his death continues to be felt by everyone who knew and loved him,” Ms O’Malley says.

“I am committed to doing whatever I can to stop others from losing their brother, sister, mother, father, son, daughter, partner, friend or colleague to suicide, and I hope that sharing my story helps.”

The Conversations About Suicide Mental Health forum is on tomorrow (Sunday February 11) at the Baha’i Centre of Learning 453 Marmion St, Myaree from 3pm to 5pm.

No registration is required and if you can’t attend it will be live streamed at youtube.com/watch?v=SflMVrSLnNw. Contact Lifeline 24/7 on 13 11 14.