Tuesday, 1 February 2011
In this presentation, Professor Patrick McGorry (Australian of the Year 2010) addresses how we get to a 21st Century model of mental health in Australia.
Our health is our greatest natural resource, and there is currently an huge issue surrounding the serious neglect of appropriate mental health care.
Why is it so important? Some of the statistics will astound you:
4 – 5 million Australians are affected by mental illness every year. 1 million of these are aged 12 – 25. Someone will die from suicide in Australia every 4 hours… and every 8 minutes someone will attempt suicide. It is the greatest killer of Australians up to the age of 40 – that’s 40% bigger than the road toll. Even more amazing is that most of it is preventable.
90% of people with physical health problems will get pretty good access to pretty good quality care in Australia, while only 1/3 of people with mental health problems get access to any sort of care at all.
Professor McGorry describes in his presentation the imbalance between physical and mental health care, and how we must engineer the mental health system properly for the right age groups, making it relevant and accessible to those who need it most.
There is a tremendous capacity to solve this issue in Australia, but it requires serious political commitment and community will to make it happen.
Watch this presentation for further information on what needs to be changed in the current health system and why, as well as practical ways to make these changes.
[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/17210794[/vimeo]
