There is a challenge inherent in talking, speaking or reporting on mental health.

When it's your own story, that language and those words become harder to say or write. It takes courage to say these things out loud, to verbalise the things that for so long have been left internal.

Meg Betts found that courage when she shared her story with The Sunday Examiner ahead of a drug and alcohol forum hosted by Headspace Launceston.

When we are talking about mental health, we are often told of the power our words can have on others, particularly those who are living with mental ill-health.

While those words may seem simple (are you OK?) no one really prepares you for what comes after.

Mental health support, while scant in Tasmania, often focuses on the person who is living with mental health issues, but there doesn't appear to be much to help friends, families and other loved ones.

That is why the forum hosted by Headspace is such a wonderful and positive step forward for mental health services in Launceston.

The forum will focus on the holistic approach to mental health care and will equip not only the patient but their family and friends with tools to help them navigate through these often unchartered waters.

There is evidence to suggest that a person who lives with a mental health issue is more likely to recover if they have a strong foundation support network.

Mental health affects behaviour, and it affects relationships so it is naive to suggest that it only affects the person who has the illness.

This is not about victim-blaming, but about empowering everyone to ensure they know what comes next if you ask those simple words to someone you love and the answer is a resounding no.

We could all be further educated about how to respond to mental health as it will affect us all in some way, shape or form.