[CHAT] The future of getting help - what would you do?
Most of us here on the forums are pretty mental health aware and may have experienced a mental health difficulty ourselves or supported someone we love.
We’re probably also very aware of stigma - not just about mental ill-health but even the act of getting help. The fact still remains that they majority of people struggle to get the help they need. And for us here at ReachOut.com it's just not good enough.
So, ReachOut recently had a look into this issue and the Crossroads Report is the results. We identified that just under half of all adults in Australia will have struggled with a mental health issue in their lifetime, but also that only half of those receive help.
It's shocking - however the good news is that the report also presents some ways we could change this and find a better path forward.
Here's the low down:
The ‘Crossroads - Rethinking the Australian Mental Health System’ report was released by ReachOut.com by Inspire Foundation in March. The report shows that if the mental health system in Australia was to be maintained that it would cost Australia an additional $9 billion over 15 years to provide an extra 8,800 mental health professionals to ensure Australians, especially young people, receive the help they need. The reports strongest highlight is the need for urgent changes to our current mental health system. Some possibilities for changes include looking how it can become a true 21st century model and include a strong focus on things such as online services and self-help.
In a community as diverse as ours here on the forums we’re bound to all have different experiences and opinions surrounding the mental health system across Australia in our local communities. We know the highs and the lows of help seeking. I know I saw a range of different psychologists before I found one that worked for me. I also tried Kids Help Line and used ReachOut.com to read factsheets and chat to other young people.
Some have lots of accessible help options, whilst others have a limited options when it comes to reaching out. That’s why it’s important to make a range of online self-help and peer support resources more accessible - increasing the mental health knowledge of all Australians and at the same time ensure that funding exists to get real-time help to all those who need it. Unpinning all of this is a focus on prevention and early intervention - a focus on maintaining wellbeing and getting people help early to avoid becoming mentally unwell.
On Monday night (14th April) at 8pm AEST, we want to hear what it's like for someone like you to get help - what you think works well and what could be better. Tell us about what you would do if you controlled the mental system and how you'd like to change the world!
See you right here!
Being optimistic here ...
In ten years time I hope that suicide rates drop significantly and dream that they would be non-existant due to early intervention which has lead to less servere MH illnesses. A place that advertises where one can get help in their local community. I dream that people aren't afraid to ask the hard questions about how their friends are going, that stigma would be non-existant and that people would listen without intent to reply so as they take in everything a person is telling them so as they can be of more help to them.
I would reccommend that my friend should speak to their GP and depending upon their age, I would also reccommend that they pay a visit to their local headspace centre or even use eheadspace. If they were above the age of 25, I would suggest that they seek help at the medicare local mental health clinic.
Hi Everyone,
It's been a while since I've been here, but looking back on it I've come a long way.
I discovered RO after I was flicking through an Australian teen magazine (I think it was Girlfriend?) as a high student in my home country. I just moved back from Australia wasn't having a good time all throughout high school and was diagnosed with depression in Year 12. Coming from a developing country, there is not a lot of information available on mental health but RO factsheets definitely helped me get informed to finally work up the courage to see a psychiatrist.
Now I'm in my final year of undergrad Psych at an Australian university and I am keen to pursue a career in psychology. It was a bit hard re-establishing my mental health care plans when I started uni here but I was quite impressed at the amount of services available and was pretty impressed that the Australian government reimburses some services through medicare for their citizens. I also had the opportunity to learn about other peoples experiences in mental health here and while its not perfect, I like that Australians have a positive attitude towards building a better mental health care system! 🙂
I think the main problem I am facing now is with immigration. Many international students (esp. in business or engineering) migrate to work in Australia after their studies, but for prospective psychologists you need to have a postgraduate degree. This is inefficient as entry to a postgraduate program is really difficult and there are other pathways to be accredited, such as doing a 2-year supervised internship after your undergraduate degree.
In an ideal world, I think prospective psychologists, counsellors and mental health workers should be able to gain the same immigration rights as engineers and accountants (who only need a bachelor's degree), especially when we all know there is a large need for mental health professionals 🙂
Sorry about the slight rant!
1. Make bulk billing more universal, even if it is just for the young, fraile and those that hold a hcc.
2. Work with the Eduction Minister to introduce MH awareness into the PD/H/PE curriculum
@delicatedreamer Thanks for joining us! It's been great to hear your thoughts! 🙂
I would make mental health awareness part of the cirriculum just like SEX ED
andddd
Free mental health services for everyone
On the flip side, if you were health minister for a day, and money wasn't an issue, what two things would you do to improve our current system?
I would ensure all the services currently out there had the appropiate training and resources so rather than getting a negative experience when working with a counsellor which has happened in the past. i can be encouraged to be passed on till i get the assistance i need.
i think this would be good to both services and customers as it means that a consumer of mental health services my needs would be met and as staff if i feel i simply dont know what to do or cant build up a relationship with the customer then i have access to additional staff who might be able to assist.
Thinking about the Crossroads report and our current mental health system, if a friend approached about how to get help, what would you tell them?
If it's just a tough time, and talking to friends doesn't help, either seek help online or just have a session or two with a counsellor; but if it's serious I encourage them to seek out a counsellor or GP and go from there. Where I'm from, there is no shortage of mental health services, so I know that they can find something that will work for them.
Thinking about the Crossroads report and our current mental health system, if a friend approached about how to get help, what would you tell them?
It would depend on the problem. I think headspace is a good place to start- to suss out if their services are suitable for my friends needs.
Sometimes help is just being a person who listens, sometimes help is referring someone onto a professional who can guide them through the problem!
We have had a very passionate and amazing discussion tonight and we really appreciate your input everyone. 🙂 So for the last question tonight: In ten years time, what should our mental health system look like?
In ten years time, what should our mental health system look like?
A place where everyone feels like they can get help- it should be affordable, accessible in some form or another for all Australians when they need it, early intervention and prevention being used effectively and mental health being accepted as something that people suffer from rather than who they are- stigma being a thing of the past- but also as something that can be managed and in a lot of cases overcome.
In ten years time, what should our mental health system look like?
1. One portal service to access a database of professionals F2F in your area- cities and rural areas
2. A sophisticated online counselling system- e-counselling, more online support services 24/7
3. A sophisticated telephone counselling service- so that 100% of calls to Lifeline and Kids Help get answered (minimum!)
4. A streamlined aftercare service for those out of hospitals- recovering from acute MH issues
5. A national psychoeducation program for all schools and available to the community and families.
6. Affordable for all
@Perspicacious Join a party and get behind policy reforms. It's one way to get your voice heard without becoming a politician.
