It’s fair to say that mental illness is very common in our country. About 20% of Australians aged 16 to 85 experience a mental health disorder in any year. So, there’s no justification for feeling alone with any mental health condition as you’re likely to be sharing the experience with many thousands of others. If you sense something is wrong, don’t fall prey to negative stigma and suffer in silence. Become proactive and seek help beginning with the GP, psychiatrist, or clinical psychologist.
The most common of disorders are depression, anxiety and substance abuse. And these types of disorders often occur in combination with each other. A person for example, with anxiety may also develop depression, or a person with depression may misuse alcohol or other drugs, prescription and/or illicit, in an effort to self-medicate. Of this 20% of Australians with a mental illness in any one year, about 11.5% have one disorder and 8.5% have two or more disorders. Almost half (45%) of Australians will experience a mental illness in their lifetime. Of the roughly 24 million residents of this country, about half, or about 12 million people will experience a clinically rated mental illness during their lifetime. The onset of mental illness is typically around mid-to late adolescence and Australian youth (18 to 24 years old) have the highest prevalence of mental illness than any other age group. Data from the Y2014 Mission Australia’s Youth Survey showed that around one in five (21.2%) of young people (15 to 19 years old) met the criteria for a probable serious mental disorder. Common mental illnesses among Australians are anxiety disorders (14%), depressive disorders (6%) and substance use disorders (5%). Approximately 50% of people with mental illness do not access any treatment. This is worsened by delayed treatment due to serious problems in detection and accurate diagnosis. The proportion of people with mental illness accessing treatment is half that of people with physical disorders. The consequences of untreated mental illness are very often tragic in the extreme. Every day, at least 6 Australians die from suicide and a further 30 people will attempt to take their own life. Suicide is the leading cause of death in people aged 25 to 44 and second leading cause of death for young people aged 15 to 24. Australians are more likely to die by suicide than skin cancer, yet we understand the causes and cures for skin cancer much better than we do about the processes leading to suicide. Men are at greatest risk of suicide but least likely to seek help. In 2011 men accounted for over 76% of deaths from suicide. An estimated 72% of males don’t seek help from mental disorders for various reasons many of which correspond to an unwillingness or inability to share their concerns. If you are feeling suicidal or in need of help please contact Lifeline’s 24-hour crisis support service on 13 11 14. If you would like to see a psychologist, give me a call 0400 809 050 to make an appointment to discuss how we can work together to overcome the challenges you are facing at the moment. We are committed to help you. |
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