'He wanted to go back to hospital, but we couldn't get him in anywhere'

Stockton's Kahi Simon had everything going for him.

So when the kind and much-loved 20-year-old took his own life in October last year, it came as a shock to his friends.

His mum Kelly Kay, of Merewether, said he had lived with depression since age 15.

"He became progressively worse over the last two years and in the months leading up to his suicide," Mrs Kay said.

"The system failed him."

The family shared their story as the Black Dog Institute launched its "Fully Fund Mental Health in NSW" campaign.

The campaign called on the Minns government to urgently reform and invest in the state's mental health system.

It released data showing mental health now represents 15 per cent of the total burden of disease in NSW, but only receives 5 per cent of overall healthcare funding.

Kahi [pronounced Ky] grew up in Stockton and went to Newcastle High, but also lived in Forster.

He had Indigenous heritage with the Worimi people.

Mrs Kay said Kahi's experience revealed gaps in the mental health system.

He had been in a mental health hospital for about 10 days shortly before his death at Fern Bay in Port Stephens.

"I would like to see more funding for the stage after being discharged from a mental health hospital," Mrs Kay said.

"We had to chase up where he could go next. There are so many wait lists for someone who is suicidal, but not really showing the signs.

"He was struggling internally. There needs to be funding for a safe house."

She had heard of Safe Haven in Newcastle.

"Something like that would be perfect, but it's open three days a week for five hours a day," she said.

"If something like that was open 24-7, that would be much better.

"He had family and mates, but needed more professional help. He wanted to go back to hospital, but we couldn't get him in anywhere."

Kahi's step mum Katrina Mason believed the mental health system was struggling for answers to help treat people effectively.

"Even the bits that are funded have limited success rates," Miss Mason said.

"All they had for us was a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder without actually knowing him.

"The only treatment they had for that was dialectical behaviour therapy, which wasn't available."

Ms Kay believes Kahi was misdiagnosed.

"He had depression, but they didn't give him medication," she said.

NSW Minister for Mental Health Rose Jackson said the government had commissioned a short-term analysis to pinpoint gaps in the system

Ms Jackson said NSW Health would this year do "a more thorough analysis" to understand what was required to "meet the mental health needs of people in NSW".

"We will be able to understand and explore what revenue or funding stream is required to bridge the gaps in our system."

Miss Mason said programs were needed to run "alongside the western psychology and psychiatry model".

"Like immersion in nature and country and detoxing from screens," she said, along with programs to promote good nutrition and reduced consumption of junk food.

"Kahi's generation was one of the first to come through with a phone in their hand," she said.

"As humans, we have this primitive biology and this godlike technology. None of us know where this is leading."

Kahi was doing a carpentry apprenticeship. He was a creative person.

"He wanted to start a T-shirt brand, which he'd started designing with his little brother Kalani," Miss Mason said.

After his death, his family sold the T-shirts with the brand name "Baiame by Kahi".

With that and crowdfunding they raised $40,000 for suicide prevention.

The Newcastle Herald's content is normally behind a paywall however, due to the nature of Kahi's story and his family's wishes to raise awareness of this issue, we have made this story free. If you would like to support the Herald's journalism in your community, you can subscribe for full acccess here.