Samantha Dunn – Upper House candidate for Eastern Victoria
13 October 2010
Almost half the population will experience a mental health disorder at some time in their life, but the funding to address this critically important area is totally inadequate according to Samantha Dunn, Greens candidate for Eastern Victoria after attending a Mental Health Week event in Lilydale.
“We know that up to 50% of substance abuse problems in young people are preceded by mental illness, we need to break the cycle, invest in the future of our society and start to put some badly needed resources into mental health services.”
Only around one third of people with a mental illness use health services for their mental health problem.
“We need a significant boost in the mental health budget with a focus on community prevention, recovery centres and early intervention programs,” said Samantha.
“The Greens will prioritise badly needed early intervention services as advocated by Australian of the Year, Professor Patrick McGorry, ” concluded Samantha
Showing posts with label mental health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mental health. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Thursday, May 13, 2010
mental health and young people
Last week saw a Mental Health Forum on Depression and Young People held in Emerald and organised by the Rotary clubs from Emerald, Monbulk and Belgrave. It was a compelling forum, well organised and thought provoking for people in the audience.
The panel were well informed and highlighted the good work going on to help young people get through depression despite the many barriers in place. Also well represented were our local secondary schools, Monbulk and Emerald, whose Wellbeing Coordinators spoke with great empathy and care about the young people in the region.
Alarming to learn was the huge gap in mental health services in the public health system. Of even greater concern is the change to Secondary School support for students. In the past students were able to access on onsite psychologist, but under the new system, students must be registered through a centralised agency. This has created huge waiting lists and has serious consequences for young people seeking immediate help.
We know that between 8 and 17% of young people will experience a depressive illness.
It was staggering to learn about the lack of preventative measures in place to stop mental illness in the first place as clear indicators can be picked up at an early age. The Greens are committed to preventative measures to ensure that the right care model is in place when it’s needed.
This government is failing our young people and all those touched by mental illness by not providing the necessary funding for preventative measures.
The Greens recognise the need to fund community prevention and recovery centres as well as the need for early intervention programs.The Greens are committed to preventative measures to ensure that the right care model is in place when it’s needed. There needs to be serious commitment to tackle mental health, it’s an investment in the health of our nation.
The panel were well informed and highlighted the good work going on to help young people get through depression despite the many barriers in place. Also well represented were our local secondary schools, Monbulk and Emerald, whose Wellbeing Coordinators spoke with great empathy and care about the young people in the region.
Alarming to learn was the huge gap in mental health services in the public health system. Of even greater concern is the change to Secondary School support for students. In the past students were able to access on onsite psychologist, but under the new system, students must be registered through a centralised agency. This has created huge waiting lists and has serious consequences for young people seeking immediate help.
We know that between 8 and 17% of young people will experience a depressive illness.
It was staggering to learn about the lack of preventative measures in place to stop mental illness in the first place as clear indicators can be picked up at an early age. The Greens are committed to preventative measures to ensure that the right care model is in place when it’s needed.
This government is failing our young people and all those touched by mental illness by not providing the necessary funding for preventative measures.
The Greens recognise the need to fund community prevention and recovery centres as well as the need for early intervention programs.The Greens are committed to preventative measures to ensure that the right care model is in place when it’s needed. There needs to be serious commitment to tackle mental health, it’s an investment in the health of our nation.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
