Australia at risk of welfare dependent generation if more is not done for children’s mental health support: Patrick McGorry

Australia faces a generation of increased welfare dependence unless more is done to provide support for children with severe anxiety and mental health issues. Ahead of Health Minister Greg Hunt’s speech to the National Press Club tomorrow outlining his “vision for a mentally healthier community”, senior mental health experts have said the nation is staring down the barrel of a generation of welfare-dependent youth due to mental health problems. Former Australian of the Year and Headspace founder Patrick McGorry and co-director of the Brain and Mind Centre, Ian Hickie, said more needed to be done to address the group of adolescents with severe and ongoing mental health issues. They said secondary care hubs were desperately needed in all 50 primary health networks across the nation, specifically for 15 to 25-year-olds. The hubs needed to be targeted for more comprehensive support. Labor committed to funding secondary care to a greater extent during the election campaign, but the Coalition is yet to publicly back the model. Professor McGorry said he had spoken to Mr Hunt since the election and expressed the urgent need for secondary support hubs. He said between 50,000 and 300,000 youth a year could be helped and potentially prevented from being jobless and welfare dependent. “You will save money,” Professor McGorry said. Professor Hickie said young people with more complex problems had been largely neglected. “We haven’t taken up the challenge for the great majority of young people who have more complex problems and whose actual capacity to go to school and to go to post-school education and participate in employment is severely compromised,” he said. “If you fail to do it at this early age they then stay welfare dependent for life. Even if they somewhat recover from problems they still remain welfare dependent. “We will see this spike and given the current debate about welfare, particularly in young people, this should be at the top of the agenda.” Christel Middeldorp, from the Child Health Research Centre, said the focus did not just need to be on adolescents but also on young children. It is understood Mr Hunt will unveil a mental health strategy for children in his Press Club address. The West Australian first flagged that children’s mental health would be high on the agenda in June after the first roundtable of leading mental health advocates convened by Mr Hunt. At the time, mental health clinics for children as young as five were said to be being considered. Youth mental health and suicide is on the rise, with suicide the leading cause of death in people aged 15 to 24. Last month it was revealed children as young as six were calling Kids Helpline to discuss suicide. If you need help or someone to talk to call for free Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800.