Australian research provides insight into mental health
2 May 2001
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) has launched the results of a national research project into mental health and depression, the National Mental Health Benchmark, providing an insight into Australian attitudes to mental health.
RACGP President Dr Paul Hemming said the research, conducted by Sydney-based Wirthlin Worldwide Australasia, shows that 90 per cent of Australians rank mental health as a significant problem.
‘Mental health is among the top 5 conditions that Australians believe should be made health priorities and given additional funding,’ he said.
The 1014 Australians surveyed ranked mental health on par with diabetes as a healthcare priority, behind only cancer and heart disease.
Although respondents were generally unclear about what constitutes a mental illness, depression was the condition most strongly associated with it.
The research project highlighted the prevalence of mental health problems in Australia, with 2 in every 5 respondents (40 per cent) saying that they or a family member have experienced depression.
The research also found that 59 per cent of people, on average, strongly considered general practitioners to be the first point of contact if they believed they were experiencing depression. This is despite the fact that most assume that GPs do not have the skills necessary to treat depression.
Dr Hemming said there was evidence to show that 93 per cent of GPs were spending time with patients on an unpaid basis to ensure they receive adequate consultation and treatment.
The CEO of ‘beyondblue: the National Depression Initiative’, Professor Ian Hickie, has welcomed the release of the report, calling it ‘a very important and timely study that should underpin urgent service reforms in mental health care'.
He added: 'While this Government has supported key public health and education initiatives like 'beyondblue' and the National Suicide Strategy, the public is well aware of the inadequacies of the current system. It particularly disadvantages those in regional and rural areas with limited access to specialist systems.'
Dr Hemming said: 'The way in which primary health care is funded needs a major overhaul and part of that process involves introducing properly remunerated arrangements for GPs to deal with more time-consuming and complex health problems such as some aspects of mental illness.'
Last Reviewed: 03 May 2001
