The Inspire Foundation, which operates Australia’s leading online youth mental health service, ReachOut.com, has welcomed the release of the National Mental Health Commission’s 2012 National Report Card on Mental Health and Suicide Prevention.
Aram Hosie, Inspire’s Director of Research & Public Affairs said: “We believe that the report card is an important step in moving Australia towards an effective, equitable and cost-effective 21st century model of mental health care.”
The Report Card takes a big picture view of mental health in Australia and places a clear emphasis on reforming the way mental health is approached.
The Report Card highlights that young people in Australia have lower rates of access to support services, particularly in rural and remote areas. It also advocates the expansion of services providing early intervention and support to enable alternative pathways for those accessing services.
“Inspire has historically supported calls for greater investment into services that work, whilst also realizing that more money alone is not the answer. Appreciative of the fact that resources – both human and financial – are limited, Inspire has been advocating for a 21st century model of health care where the overall capacity of the mental health system is massively scaled through the integration of innovative, technology-driven services and support, alongside traditional, face-face services available to all,” said Hosie.
The Report Card found 52% of people accessing mental health services felt their needs were not fully met, predominantly due to the fact they “preferred to manage themselves.” This is consistent with what young people tell us – that they want actionable ways to help themselves. Reaching and engaging young people is especially vital as 75% of mental health issues start before the age of 24.
“We focus on utilising technology in innovative ways to ensure more young people get the help they need. With people increasingly seeking support and information online, initiatives such as ReachOut.com are critical pathways to delivering mental health care and support. We’re on track to have more than 1.4 million unique visitors to ReachOut.com this year,” said Hosie.
Inspire strongly supports the Commission’s desire to better understand the economic costs and value of mental illness and health. Reframing mental health in this way can increase engagement from a diverse range of sectors, including business. This was shown by the response to our joint report with Ernst & Young, Counting the Cost, which found the economic cost of young men’s mental illness in Australia was more than A$3 billion each year.
Hosie said the Inspire Foundation “looks forward to working with the Commission and the sector more broadly to explore how innovation and technology can deliver greater support to more people, and integrate successful programs and initiatives into the proposed national mental health planning framework.”
Aram Hosie, Inspire’s Director of Research & Public Affairs said: “We believe that the report card is an important step in moving Australia towards an effective, equitable and cost-effective 21st century model of mental health care.”
The Report Card takes a big picture view of mental health in Australia and places a clear emphasis on reforming the way mental health is approached.
The Report Card highlights that young people in Australia have lower rates of access to support services, particularly in rural and remote areas. It also advocates the expansion of services providing early intervention and support to enable alternative pathways for those accessing services.
“Inspire has historically supported calls for greater investment into services that work, whilst also realizing that more money alone is not the answer. Appreciative of the fact that resources – both human and financial – are limited, Inspire has been advocating for a 21st century model of health care where the overall capacity of the mental health system is massively scaled through the integration of innovative, technology-driven services and support, alongside traditional, face-face services available to all,” said Hosie.
The Report Card found 52% of people accessing mental health services felt their needs were not fully met, predominantly due to the fact they “preferred to manage themselves.” This is consistent with what young people tell us – that they want actionable ways to help themselves. Reaching and engaging young people is especially vital as 75% of mental health issues start before the age of 24.
“We focus on utilising technology in innovative ways to ensure more young people get the help they need. With people increasingly seeking support and information online, initiatives such as ReachOut.com are critical pathways to delivering mental health care and support. We’re on track to have more than 1.4 million unique visitors to ReachOut.com this year,” said Hosie.
Inspire strongly supports the Commission’s desire to better understand the economic costs and value of mental illness and health. Reframing mental health in this way can increase engagement from a diverse range of sectors, including business. This was shown by the response to our joint report with Ernst & Young, Counting the Cost, which found the economic cost of young men’s mental illness in Australia was more than A$3 billion each year.
Hosie said the Inspire Foundation “looks forward to working with the Commission and the sector more broadly to explore how innovation and technology can deliver greater support to more people, and integrate successful programs and initiatives into the proposed national mental health planning framework.”
