One of the nation’s greatest modern tragedies is its rising suicide rate, especially among young people. It remains the single biggest cause of death among Australians aged 15 to 44 years, and the emotional trauma that flows from such sudden loss can be devastating, widespread and long-lasting.
That is one reason why the federal government’s initiative for a new national program to identify mental health conditions in primary school children is to be welcomed. Early intervention and treatment are vital, because many mental health conditions take root from early ages, the years when children are learning where and how they might fit in the wider world.
While anxiety is the most common mental health issue across all ages, in some instances leading to depression, substance abuse, isolating behaviours and more, it appears that anxiety is both rising and being reported more among Australia’s primary school age children.
It is easy to understand why some children might feel overwhelmed. There are the pressures wrought by parents, siblings and home life, which might be dysfunctional or broken entirely. Family violence, domestic relationship breakdowns and frightening abuse can lead to mental health vulnerabilities in children. Yet similar vulnerabilities can emerge from apparently stable households or when parents put too much pressure on their children to succeed.
There is the regime of school, which can be perplexing, loud and exhausting. There are small friendships that dissipate without reason, endless interactions that come to nothing, and hopes that are dashed every day. And while anti-bullying strategies in schools and the wider community are starting to gain traction, much good work in the playground can be undermined by the barrage of nastiness on social media and phone text messages.
For some, the long years of primary school, puberty and young adulthood can be bewildering and scary without solid confidants and strong mentors. And for some of those children and young adults, the tide of anxiety is never resolved.
Too often, though, children are left out of the mental health discussion; the focus tends to be on how to care for adults. Early intervention is crucial to help alleviate anxiety, develop resilience and forge a safe and strong path through adulthood.
While the youth mental health initiative proposed by Health Minister Greg Hunt is welcome, it must be emphasised that this is only a small piece of the jigsaw that federal and state governments, alike, need to work on. How mental health issues are diagnosed, managed and treated, and how the community responds to mental health conditions, are highly complex and multi-layered concerns.
Suicide rates in regional areas, for example, outstrip those in metropolitan areas, and the suicide rate among Indigenous youth is a multiple of that in the general population.
The recent mental health royal commission in Victoria has brought to the fore some concerning issues about how the health system responds to people with mental health issues. Among other things, there are indications that the health system is geared towards responding to crisis events in people’s lives, when often what they need is generous, responsive and supportive long-term care so that they don’t reach crisis point.
To that end, the federal government should consider increasing the cap on the number of consultations a person with a mental health care plan can access under the Medicare rebate scheme each year. We suggest lifting it from the current limit of 10 a year to, say, 15.
After all, navigating the mental health care system can be a humiliating and nightmarish experience for people who are already struggling with the anxieties of daily life.
- The Herald's editor Lisa Davies writes a weekly newsletter exclusively for subscribers. To have it delivered to your inbox, please sign up here
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