Wesley Mission has called for mental health to be placed atop the national health and political agenda after it was revealed that a staggering 77 per cent of people in NSW have either suffered a mental health problem or know someone who has.
The Wesley Report, Keeping minds well: Mental health is everybody’s business also found that 53 per cent of the community (2.8 million people in NSW) will personally experience a mental health problem during their lives while mental illness among one third of young people goes undiagnosed..
“The Wesley Report shows that mental health is a wide reaching issue in our community,” said the CEO of Wesley Mission the Rev Dr Keith Garner said at the report’s launch in Sydney. “ABS research (2007-08) has indicated that around 800,000 people have been formally diagnosed as currently suffering from depression in any given year across Australia,
“The Wesley Mission survey result goes to the heart of our experience with those we help, suggesting that under-reporting, under-diagnosis and a lack of treatment is common.
“The Wesley Report clearly shows that many sufferers, especially those under 25, do not seek early formal care, despite the fact that the sooner a sufferer acts, the more likely he or she is to recover, and recover quickly.
“One of the reasons is the stigma, the uninformed community attitudes which make sufferers ashamed to admit the way they feel.. We need people to feel free enough to access help and access it early. The report reveals that postponing treatment delays recovery.”
The Wesley Report also shows that the community has lower levels of comfort with people suffering depression compared with cancer. Less than half the population is comfortable with friends, family members, neighbours and work colleagues suffering depression.
The Wesley Report reveals that almost half the population has frequently experienced financial stress, and these people account for 60 per cent of those who feel they have suffered mental illness - a telling warning as mortgage interest rates, rents and power bills rise.
The survey of 2012 people aged 18 and over was conducted in January this year and found that mental health is a far more pervasive issue than perceived:
· More than a quarter of people claim to be currently suffering mental health problems.
· Depression and anxiety are the most common conditions, with one in six currently suffering from depression and just over one in 10 from anxiety.
· More than half of those surveyed know someone who claims to have suffered from depression and three in 10 know someone who feels they have suffered from anxiety.
· Depression rates are higher in rural areas where the incidence approaches half (46 per cent).
· Three in 10 people believe they have suffered a mental health problem at some point in their lives which was undiagnosed and for which they did not seek any treatment, representing more than 1.6 million “hidden” sufferers.
“Eight times as many people suffer from depression as suffer from heart disease or cancer yet mental health funding, both public and private, is far lower than for other illnesses.
“What may surprise some people is that suicide related to mental illness is the sixth highest form of mortality in Australia. The proportion of Australians who die from mental health problems is also likely to be higher as a significant proportion of suicides are officially recorded as accidental death.”
People on low incomes were 15 per cent less likely to seek help from a counsellor.
“Affordability is a key issue for people earning less than $50,000 a year,” Dr Garner said.
Two thirds of people feel that seeing a counsellor is effective in treating mental illness
Interestingly, however, only 14 per cent of those who reported to experiencing a mental illness actually see a counsellor. This indicates that there is a large gap in services, with many unable to access or unable to afford the best treatment for their condition.
The research also shows the crucial role that family and friends play as “first port of call” for sufferers as they look for support and understanding.
“It’s clear that there is a key need to help these informal supporters - as well as teachers, employers, workmates - understand how they can better identify warning signs in those around them and what they can do,” Dr Garner said.
There is also a clear association between protective factors and faster recovery from self-reported mental health problems including exercise, stress management, financial stability, conflict and anger management, change management and having positive relationships.
Mental health is an issue close to Wesley Mission’s heart. It cuts across all Wesley Mission’s services from child and family programs, its work among the homeless and among those who need financial counselling. Under the recent COAG communiqué $5.4 billion was allocated to health but only $174 million to mental health.
Wesley Mission is a major provider of mental health services. It runs a range of early intervention and community based programs. Wesley Mission operates Lifeline Sydney and Sutherland taking more than 20,000 crisis calls a year, while its LifeForce suicide prevention program has trained more than 15,000 people in suicide prevention. Wesley Mission also runs eating disorder programs and psychiatric services at Wesley Hospital Ashfield and Wesley Hospital Kogarah.
Society
New research reveals mental health is everybody’s business
Monday, 3 May 2010, 13:25 (EST)
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