HELP FOR MENTAL ILLNESS IS AVAILABLE
I write from the not-for-profit Mental Illness Fellowship of Australia (MIFA) to highlight that there is no question that across Australia, people's mental health conditions have escalated significantly.
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It is due to fear, anxiety and social isolation. COVID-19 has hit the community very hard indeed.
What is very troubling is that 54 percent of people with a mental illness do not access any kind of treatment.
Close to 7 in 10 of all GP presentations are now people with mental health issues.
That's where the Mental Illness Fellowship of Australia comes in. We have a special hotline designed to help people work out where they can get help. It is a free service available to readers in your area. Readers should simply call 1800 985 944.
You can also get more information at www.minetworks.org.au.
Mental health issues need to be talked about more across the community. Close to half (45 percent) of all Australians will experience a mental illness in their lifetime.
It is now estimated a huge 3.8 million Australians live with a mental illness. 690,000 live with a severe mental illness.
We absolutely need to be investing more in services that help people with mental health issues.
We must make it easier for people to access the help that is actually out there.
Our key message is reach out ... because there is help out there. Visit our website or call our hotline. It is why the Mental Illness Fellowship of Australia is there - to help.
Tony Stevenson, National CEO, Mental Illness Fellowship of Australia
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