Mental Health in Australia
With depression now the leading cause of disability globally (according to the WHO), affecting over 350 million people worldwide, and with anxiety as its frequent partner, affecting 260 million people worldwide, something has to change.
The current mental health statistics in Australia suggest how rapidly we need change:
- According to Beyond Blue, around 1 million Australians have depression and 2 million have anxiety in any given year – this is a big worry.
- The risk for Australian adults developing a mental illness in any given 12 months has been stated as being 1 in 5 for at least the last decade.
- 1 in 6 Australians are at risk of anxiety at some point in their lives.
- 85% of those with clinical depression have significant anxiety and 90% of those with anxiety are also depressed.
- Every day an average of 8 Australians will take their own lives, 6 will be men.
- Suicide is the leading cause of death for those aged 25 to 44.
The statistics are scary, and especially for the younger generation.
- The 2017 Youth Mental Health Report by Mission Australia and the Black Dog Institute confirmed mental illness to be a growing challenge with 1 in 4 young people aged 15-19 are at risk of serious mental illness.
- 1 in 6 Australians aged 16 to 24 years have experienced an anxiety disorder over the last 12 months.
- A report by the Pew Research Centre published in The Economist found 70% of respondents in Generation Z (i.e. born after 1997) reported anxiety and depression was a major issue for them along with bullying and exam pressures.
- A survey from Headspace reported close to 70% of those surveyed as saying their mental health was poor or fair with 2/3 reporting high or very high psychological distress over the previous 12 months.
- Suicide is the second leading cause of death for those aged 15 to 24.
Mental illness doesn’t discriminate – it can affect anyone.
So, what’s the problem?
Well, there is no single answer.
Sometimes, of course, mental illness occurs because of the hand we are dealt with by our genes or our environment. Not to mention, anxiety, high stress and depression frequently cohabit together. It can be hard sometimes to fathom out where one ends and the other starts.
However, it is thought the way we currently choose to live and work, is contributing to rising stress levels in our fast-paced, complex and rapidly changing world. We do too much. We drive ourselves too hard and we overburden our brain with stress. Too much stress over a long time reduces our ability to cope with our daily challenges.
Little by little those minor irritations and low mood escalate into a quagmire of negative thoughts and everything takes on more of a negative hue. We forget the sky is blue because we get stuck under all those grey clouds.
Knowing when to pull back, to stop and take a mental break can be hard, especially when there are deadlines to meet, expectations to rise to and a desire to succeed because we love what we do and want to do well.
Anyone can potentially be affected. So, this has to become a corporate responsibility in the workplace, to create a safe environment for all brains from the CEO down, to have access to and know how to implement effective stress reduction tools.
But what if we all pressed the pause button, even for a moment, to take stock of where we are, where we’re going and how we feel?
Dr Jenny’s Blog
Latest Articles: Mental Health
Mental Health at Work
These rising levels of anxiety and depression have an estimated economic cost of US$1 trillion p.a. to the global economy. In the workplace, depression alone costs the Australian economy over $12.3 billion each year, with absenteeism and presenteeism sitting at about $79 billion p.a. according to AIG.
That’s a heck of a price to be paying for poor mental health and unhappiness.
A recent study that examined the mental health of corporate Australia revealed the prevalence to be far greater with one in three experiencing some form of mental illness broken down to
– 36% having depression
– 33% anxiety
– 31% stress
21% or one in five adult Australians have taken time off work in the last 12 months due to feeling stressed, depressed or mentally unhealthy, with the risk being twice as high in those workplaces deemed mentally unhealthy.
At work, poor mental health is limiting productivity, efficiency and potential, and is stifling creativity. Did you know that intense emotion is contagious? Meaning anxiety can spread through a team or office faster than you can say, “bless you” after a sneeze.
This is why mental wellbeing is one essential component of organisational health.
According to a study from the University of Toronto, the effect of workplace anxiety on performance is closely connected to the quality of relationships between bosses, co-workers and employees. This should come as no surprise. If you are working in a stressful environment but have an empathetic manager or supervisor, it is far easier to deal with a level of emotional exhaustion. A workplace culture that builds strong social networks is one that will help allay fears and worry.
A high-performance workplace achieves success; growth and prosperity, by ensuring all members of the business or organisation enjoy the combination of physical, mental and cognitive health.
What if every workplace had in place a protocol to ensure that every employee had the necessary strategies to keep stress and anxiety at manageable levels? What impact could that have on their level of productivity and performance?
How to Help Others Stay Mentally Well
Develop Compassion and Empathy
We can restore our mental health by re-humanising the workplace and our relationships with others.
Compassion and empathy allow us to understand what might be going on for someone else. It makes us kinder, more tolerant and resistant to the black tentacles of envy, distrust and fear. Practising compassion might sound a little weird but has been shown to boost happiness and wellbeing in ourselves and in those with whom we share our lives.
Look for Clues in Others
Realise if someone might not be themselves and are putting on a brave front by noticing that change in their behaviour and performance: are they are more disengaged from colleagues? Do they appear tired all the time? Do they never smile or look sad?
We are all busy and often get caught up in our agendas – but all it takes is a few seconds to notice other people around us. How are they today?
Listen
Being listened to with genuine attention and compassion goes a long way in the journey to restore mental health and wellbeing.
RUOK? – Start a Conversation
Start a conversation with open-ended questions and ask how they are. It’s important to give the space needed to avoid being fobbed off with the “I’m fine” routine and a fake Mona Lisa smile.
How to Stay Mentally Well
It all boils down to lightening up, keeping things in perspective and taking time out to ensure you are enjoying the life you have. We all get such a short time on this planet, let’s make it a great event and enjoy good mental health.
Does your organisation look after the mental capital of all its employees?
What method do you find useful to keep mentally healthy?
If you or someone you know is at risk of mental illness or burnout, help is at hand.
Contact your health practitioner.
Lifeline 13 11 14 For Crisis support and suicide prevention www.lifeline.org.au
Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636 www.beyondblue.org.au
RUOK? www.ruok.org.au
