The first Mental Health Australia Report to the Nation reveals that there are many things to celebrate in terms of the mental health and wellbeing of Australians.
Prepared for Mental Health Australia by Ipsos Public Affairs, the report which was released this week suggests Australia is a happy and socially connected nation in which people support one another and have things in their lives to look forward to.
“When we need to, most Australians are able to reach out to a range of formal and informal sources of mental health and wellbeing supports and information, and overwhelmingly, when we access support this is safe, respectful, and effective in improving our mental health,” the report says.
“However, there are many areas where our mental health and wellbeing at population level could be strengthened.
“We are more likely to help others than ask for help ourselves, and we commonly feel we should resolve our issues on our own, suggesting an opportunity to further encourage social connection through vulnerability.
“Fewer than half of us feel part of a community, and levels of financial and job security are worryingly low.
“Many of us are also feeling an impact from global threats such as climate change, war and social unrest.”
The report found that as economic and global instability and the threats of climate change evolved over coming years, they would continue to threaten the mental health and wellbeing of Australians.
“When looking closer at priority populations some additional troubling trends emerge, but so do opportunities for strengthening support,” it said.
“First Nations Australians are often more likely to struggle with many of the elements of life that are crucial to positive mental health and wellbeing. It is no surprise, then, that their self-rated mental health is significantly lower on average than other Australians.
“More needs to be done to improve access to culturally-responsive mental health services for this community.
“There is great strength to be harnessed in this process: First Nations Australians were significantly more likely than all others to report that they help others when they need it.
“LGBTQIA+ Australians also have lower reported overall mental health on average and more likely to face challenges in social connection and housing security.
“Despite being more likely to need mental health support, LGBTQIA+ Australians are also more likely to face a range of barriers.
“These findings reinforce the need to address ongoing societal stigma and discrimination experienced by this community and increase access to safe and affirming mental health supports.”
