A widower has called on the federal government to inject more funds into mental heath, claiming her husband would still be alive if he had received more support.
Nathan O’Toole, 51, took his own life after a long battle with depression triggered by a tragedy he witnessed 13 years ago and never recovered from.
His tragic death on January 8 came just one week after he and his wife Karen Swan celebrated their 11th wedding anniversary.
Ms Swan, from Hill Top in the NSW Southern Highlands, believes her husband would still be here with her and their two daughters if he had received more help.
‘I really do think he would have been saved with more support,’ the 52-year-old told Daily Mail Australia on Friday.
‘There is not enough mental health help in Australia, for men in particular. There needs to be more support.
‘How much money does our government spend on other things? Our money really needs to be redirected to places where it’s vital.’
Mr O’Toole’s battle with depression began in the most tragic of circumstances over a decade ago when he made a discovery that sent him into despair.
Karen and Nathan were married for 11 years before he lost his battle with depression

Nathan O’Toole’s depression started in the most tragic of circumstances 13 years ago
‘This is the seventh male suicide that’s touched our lives and his identical twin committed suicide 13 years ago and he found him,’ Ms Swan said.
‘He never recovered from that, mental health-wise.’
Since discovering his twin dead, Mr O’Toole, unlike a lot of men, did try to reach out and get help but still faced a constant battle with his depression.
More than 3,200 Australians died from suicide in 2022 and Ms Swan believes mental health services could only do so much with limited resources.
‘He tried getting help numerous times and he had one suicide attempt where he was put into a mental health unit at a public hospital and they let him sober up, interviewed him and sent him home saying there was nothing wrong with him,’ Ms Swan said.
‘I think there’s something wrong when you try to overdose on purpose.
‘The system’s just so overloaded and the support is just not there for anyone that needs it. We spent $16,000 on a private health facility for him but he was still chasing the demons.’
Mr O’Toole leaves behind his wife and two daughters Marlee, 30, and Brodie, 19, who are understandably struggling with the giant loss.

Mr O’Toole (right) leaves behind his wife (second from left) and two daughters Marlee, 30 (left) and Brodie, 19, (second from right) who are understandably struggling
‘We’re reeling, absolutely reeling. My daughters are really broken,’ Ms Swan said.
‘No family deserves to go through this.’
Family and friends attended Mr O’Toole’s funeral on Thursday and a GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family pay for the costs.
They had no insurance or savings to pay for the funeral, but one anonymous donor had chipped in $2,200 for the cause.
Lifeline 13 11 14
***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk