Australia's mental health system is in crisis. As the issue continues to gain attention it will no doubt become politicised in this election year. Ongoing advocacy and lobbying from esteemed psychiatrist and Australian of the Year, Professor Patrick McGorry, and the high profile resignation of Professor John Mendoza from the National Advisory Council on Mental Health have galvanised public opinion — for proof just glance at the op-ed pages of any recent Australian newspaper.
Sensitive to this, the Federal Opposition recently announced its election commitment of $1.5 billion in new funding for mental health services. This has raised the stakes. That mental health is on the political agenda is good news for Australia's most marginalised and vulnerable. Moral leadership, incorporating commitment to extra funding, innovative policy and evidence based practice must follow the rhetoric.
When Australians experience serious physical injury, in almost all cases our emergency services and hospitals provide the acute care necessary to sustain and nurture life. Sadly, thousands are unable to access a similar standard of care when it comes to mental ill health. This has a raft of implications for our communities given the overlap of mental ill health with homelessness, offending behaviour, gambling addiction, relationship breakdown, substance abuse, domestic violence and impulsive risk taking.
The Opposition proposal of large scale investment in the youth mental health model, including early intervention services for first episode psychosis in addition to increased acute inpatient services is a significant milestone in the move towards mental health reform. With 75 per cent of mental ill health occurring prior to 24 years of age, getting in early is a sound approach for preventing future episodes.
Youth specific services are essential given the unique needs and challenges inherent in working with this population. In my experience, when young people are supported by services that meet their needs they often respond quickly and positively. As crisis remits they move from risky to resilient. Early intervention makes good economic sense as it prevents the progression of an episode from mild to severe, from first episode to chronic, from negative thinking to suicidal ideation.
Both sides of politics agree that more has to be done to improve mental health services. There are votes in mental health, and if Gillard wants to lead on this issue, she can look to furthering on the Coalition's commitment. This will require innovative policy. However investment needn't occur solely within the realm of hospitals. Greater emphasis on innovative prevention programs and public awareness campaigns should occur.
The building blocks of early intervention can be woven into school curricula through basic mental health first aid training. Suitably trained primary and secondary teachers could provide evaluation based programs to their students for effectively managing stress and worry, and actively promoting resilience and self-awareness. Similar large scale programs could be developed for the workplace.
These programs could be expected to have both short term efficacy in managing distress and longer term benefits in reducing mental health stigma and increasing coping behaviours.
There are two other key aspects for the Government to address: men's mental health and Indigenous mental health. In comparison to women, Australian men are far less likely to seek help for mental ill health, but are four times more likely to commit suicide. Hence we must look to making mental health services a more feasible option for men. Central to this will be programs encouraging greater numbers of men to enter the caring professions as psychologists, occupational therapists, social workers, youth workers and counsellors.
We also need to reappraise help-seeking among men as courageous. It is encouraging that greater numbers of men are breaking with societal norms and are talking more openly about their experiences of mental ill health. This should be affirmed and encouraged.
There is a need for greater research and funding into culturally appropriate mental health services for Indigenous Australians, where major gaps in service delivery remain. Positive steps are being made in Indigenous communities to improve mental health literacy. Additional resources must be invested in training members of Aboriginal communities to provide mental health services, including culturally appropriate mental health assessment.
Mental health reform is long overdue. Australia has the capacity, ingenuity, financial resources and on-the-ground know-how to lead the world on this issue. Opportunity awaits our new PM to move towards greater parity between physical and mental health. To show moral leadership on mental health reform is the right thing to do. It has the capacity to transform the lives of Australia's most marginalised and vulnerable.
Simon Rice is a Provisional Psychologist and Research Assistant in the Australian Catholic University's School of Psychology.