Youth mental health issues are on the rise, with one in four young Australians contemplating ending their life over the past two years and 15 per cent attempting self-harm according to a recent poll by Resolve Strategic of 16-to 24-year-olds.
Local organisations are said to be struggling under rises in service demands but without access to funds to accommodate for it.
Lifeline Central Coast CEO, Rob Sams, said mental health and suicide prevention organisations, including headspace, would welcome much needed additional funding to support local community programs.
“Funding for national programs is important and much needed but local groups also need funds for grass roots community mental health programs,” Sams said.
“Lifeline Central Coast relies on community donations and revenue from its shops to deliver local community programs and its contribution to the 13 11 14 service.”
Calls to Lifeline’s 13 11 14 crisis support service are up 25 per cent across Australia since the start of the pandemic.
On New Year’s Day, Lifeline received 3,726 calls nationally, the highest ever number of calls in a single day.
Sams said a great example of community work on the Central Coast is its Save our Kids (SOKS) program, delivered in partnership with the Rotary Club of North Gosford and other supporters.
Over 10 years the project has given more than 5,000 people, including school staff, teachers, welfare workers and counsellors, skills in identifying kids at risk of suicide and how to have conversations with young people to keep them safe while they get the support they need.
“SOKS is a practical program that is saving lives while building the capacity of community members and giving young people skills in resilience,” he said.
“We’re relying on fundraising by Rotary and generous local supporters to make programs such as SOKS possible.”
Sams said suicide is the leading cause of death for Australians between the ages of 15 and 44, with more than 65,000 Australians making a suicide attempt each year.
He said rates are higher per capita in regional and remote communities than in capital cities.
The data also indicated 82 per cent of those surveyed said they had experienced mental health issues during COVID-19.
Member for Gosford, Liesl Tesch, said more needs to be done to address the issue.
“We don’t have to look hard to see the impact mental health challenges are having on our youth – four in five young Australians experiencing mental health issues means that you and I both know at least one person suffering their own mental health battle,” Tesch said.
“With figures this high it is mind-blowing that more is not being invested into youth mental health, which includes the need for not only later intervention measures but also preventative measures to try to combat the issues early on.”
With six month wait times reported in September last year by the ABC, Tesch said making vulnerable youth wait for services because of a lack of investment is not an option.
“When you’re accessing Headspace and other mental health services or support services your first interaction counts,” Tesch said.
“If people are having to wait to see someone in their time of crisis the difference could well and truly be someone’s life. That’s not a cost any of us want, which is why more funding into mental health is imperative.”
A spokesperson from the Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, David Coleman, said the Federal Government was committed to expanding the headspace network, but could not be pressed on if the government acknowledges the serious issue of wait times on the Central Coast.
“The headspace network is at the heart of the Government’s vision for youth primary mental health services and the Government is continuing to expand it,” the spokesperson said.
“Many existing services will also be upgraded. This means more staff and more resources, to reduce wait times and support more young people.
“There are three headspace services operating on the Central Coast at Gosford, Wyong and Lake Haven [and] the Lake Haven service will be upgraded to a larger service by July 2022.”
A spokesperson for the Minister for Mental Health Bronnie Taylor said wait times are not an issue for state-funded services on the Coast.
“There are a range of NSW Government funded youth mental health services available on the Central Coast including Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS), Adolescent Consultation-Liason, School link and Safeguards,” Taylor said.
“There is currently no waiting list for these services, with young people able to access them within recommended timeframes.”
Maisy Rae