Mental Health: The elephant in the room

3 October 2014

It’s time to start talking about mental health.

There remains a stigma about mental illness in mainstream Australia. The Australian Private Hospital’s Association (APHA) has launched a campaign to address the stigma head on, in a confronting and yet non-threatening way. Coinciding with Mental Health Week (5-12 October 2014), ‘The Elephant in the Room’ campaign aims to raise awareness of the prevalence of mental illness and encourage all Australians to speak openly about the issue.

Mental health in Australia

Over one million Australian adults and 178,000 young people live with depression each year.

One in four people will develop an anxiety disorder at some point in their lives, with about 14% of Australians experiencing an anxiety disorder in a year.

Eating disorders are the third most common chronic illness in the female population. The total social and economic cost of eating disorders in Australia in 2012 was estimated at $69.7 billion.

Men are more than twice as likely as women to have substance abuse disorders and it is common for young people with substance use issues to also have mental health disorders, such as anxiety, depression and schizophrenia.

With so many Australians impacted, it’s time we all start talking about mental illness.

More information about Mental Health: The Elephant in the Room campaign.

_{Source: Australian Private Hospitals Association.}