It’s no secret that mental health is a taboo in Hong Kong, but host and presenter Aaron Stadlin-Robbie hopes to break the silence with the launch of his bold new podcast, Talking Mental.
Hosted by Aaron himself, each episode features a different mental health specialist who engages in a frank conversation about a specific issue, all the while offering him help and advice on how to feel better and overcome his own challenges.
Interestingly, the pilot episode features a group discussion whereby Aaron’s rugby team mates try to gain an understanding of his struggle with anxiety and panic attacks by asking him hard-hitting questions. During the conversation, Aaron offers some advice and suggestions to others going through a similar struggle, and who best to turn to for help and support, while the group attempt to get to the bottom of society’s perception of mental illness and question why it remains stigmatised.
Facing such big topics head on, without tip-toeing around them or massaging egos along the way, lies at the heart of the bold podcast, which tackles issues such as depression, sleep deprivation, and even nutrition in an extremely relatable way. Through Aaron’s own personal journey to better understand and cope with his own mental health issues, he hopes to create a non-judgmental environment where audience members can ask the questions they have always wanted, but never had the chance, or courage, to ask.
And with research revealing that one in six Hongkongers suffer from a diagnosable mental health illness, it seems that Talking Mental couldn’t have come at a better time.
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