Young Australians in high psychological distress are finding help from ReachOut.com in overwhelming numbers, youth mental health service ReachOut.com has revealed in its latest Annual User Survey.
The survey of over 1,500 users shows that more than three-quarters (77%) of young people visiting ReachOut.com are in high psychological distress. For a service that receives more than 1.3M unique visitors each year, the results highlight that mental health is the biggest health challenge facing young Australians.
“The survey results remind us what an enormous challenge we all face in reaching every young Australian who needs help” said Jonathan Nicholas, CEO of ReachOut.com by Inspire Foundation.
“To have more than three-quarters of the young people who visit our service in high distress is very concerning. It reinforces the need to think differently about our mental health system, and importantly how we can evolve it to reach many more young people who we haven’t connected with yet”.
In March 2014, ReachOut.com in collaboration with EY Australia published the Crossroads Report, a challenge to rethink the Australian mental health system. The key recommendations of Crossroads were to adopt a stepped care model of mental health care in Australia, and invest in promotion, prevention and early intervention in order to meet the growing demands of those seeking help.
“These survey results reinforce the size of our challenge in Australian mental health care” Jono continued. “We must be looking for efficient and effective ways to reach more people in distress”.
Crucially, the survey revealed almost half (46%) the visitors to ReachOut.com are more likely to seek additional help from other professional sources after visiting the service, reinforcing the critical role ReachOut.com plays in reducing stigma and encouraging young people to seek further help.
“Stigma and not knowing who to talk to are huge barriers that prevent young people struggling with mental illness from seeking help,” said Jonathan.
“Being online, anonymous and available 24/7, ReachOut.com eliminates these barriers and gives young people practical tools to address their symptoms immediately, connecting them with further help where needed.
“It’s a solution for young people in tough times who are reluctant to call a helpline, talk to a friend or see a counsellor.”
For 52% of all young people in high distress who turn to ReachOut.com, it’s their first time interacting with a professional source of mental health help. The service is designed to reduce the severity of mental illness by intervening early and guiding young people to the information and services best suited to them.
“Many young people come to ReachOut.com in the very early stages of illness, so we’re able to show them practical ways they can address symptoms and prevent their illness from progressing.”
“Overall, this survey reinforced the great benefit for those who make it to ReachOut.com. Our challenge is to urgently reach more young people in distress”.
What ReachOut.com users say about the service:
• Almost all visitors say they got the information they needed (92%)
• The majority say that ReachOut.com helped them to feel more able to deal with their issue (66%)
• 65% feel less alone after visiting ReachOut.com
User responses to the question, ‘What do you like about ReachOut.com?”
• “It provides me with heaps of information about my condition and makes me feel like I’m not alone, and I have a community to help me.”
• “ReachOut.com gives me the support and encouragement I need to get through each day.”
• “[ReachOut.com gives me] information that allows me to understand the mental illnesses that I'm facing in easier words than what is received from medical specialists.”
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Download the 2013 ReachOut.com Annual User Survey
Visit ReachOut.com
ABOUT REACHOUT.COM BY INSPIRE FOUNDATION
ReachOut.com is Australia’s leading online youth mental health service. Designed to help young people under 25 tackle everything from finding motivation to getting through really tough times, the service provides practical tools, forums and information in a safe and anonymous online environment. ReachOut.com is the help young people need, where and when they need it.
ABOUT JONATHAN NICHOLAS
Jonathan Nicholas is the CEO of ReachOut.com. One of the most prominent and passionate advocates for the mental health of young people in Australia, Jonathan was a member of the original team that launched the ReachOut.com service in 1998. With a background in child psychology and human rights, Jonathan has provided training to Indonesia on the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and co-authored a report for UNICEF on the situation of children and women living in Cambodia. Amongst many industry contributions, Jonathan is a current Board member of the Mental Health Council of Australia (MHCA) and the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE).
MEDIA CONTACTS
Mick Garnett
Director of Marketing and Communications
michael@inspire.org.au
0499 977 123
Doug Millen
Marketing & Communications Coordinator
doug@inspire.org.au
0425 865 851
