In February this year, the Federal Government announced it was investing $89 million in a national study of mental health and wellbeing. The results are to be used to provide a new baseline for Australia’s mental health policies.
We welcomed this at the time and since then have been in close contact with Minister Hunt’s office about the study.
The first insights from 2020-21 have been released, and the topline findings are:
- 15% of Australians (and more women) experienced high or very high levels of psychological distress
- younger Australians were more likely to experience high or very high levels of psychological distress than older Australians
- 3.4 million Australians saw a health professional for their mental health
- 8% saw a psychologist
- 612,000 Australians accessed other services for their mental health via phone or digital technologies
- many Australians (61%) took actions to help manage their mental health
- 15% of Australians felt lonely in the previous four weeks
You can read the findings in full here.
We look forward to seeing the future releases in June 2022.