TW: suicidal ideation, mental health distress. If these issues are triggering for you, please proceed with care. Seek help if you need it.
A mental health not – for – profit conducted a study that had worrying results.
The Black Dog Institute surveyed 911 participants in NSW and the ACT. Almost half of respondents who experienced suicidal distress said they would refuse to return to emergency departments or seek out further treatment.
43.5% of respondents said they wouldn’t seek out help from ED staff if they experienced suicidal distress.
Reasons given included: long delays, incomplete assessments and a lack of resources.
Associate Professor for Black Dog Institute, Fiona Shand outlined problems faced by many professionals and patients:
They know what the problems are, and they want to do more, but the processes and lack of resourcing don’t allow them to spend adequate time with patients or work in the way they would like.
A sign of a broken system
A participant from ACT opened up about her harrowing experience. She claimed that she went to the ED for suicidal thoughts in 2019. It exacerbated her anxiety.
Staff fast – tracked her, only to abandon her for hours. She said the experience left her “agitated”. The isolation could’ve been dangerous. When left on her own, she claimed she could leave the facility with no detection, or self – harm.
If this isn’t a sign of a broken system, I don’t know what is. Something needs to change. And it needs to change now.
People with serious mental health issues are being let down
I’ve written before about the need to fix Australia’s mental health system.
I firmly believe that Medicare should cover mental health completely.
For patients who are diagnosed with a severe mental illness, psychology therapies should be free. An example of a country that does this is the UK.
The Government needs to expand Medicare
Why the hell are people with serious mental health issues going to ED? Because people can’t afford psychology appointments?
Will lifting the cap on Medicare reduce the need for ED admissions? Maybe.
However, if suicidal people do appear in ED, doctors and nurses need to know how treat them.
Effects of good mental health
There are reasons why I keep banging on about this. Good mental health means a better society.
If we improved mental health in our society we will improve:
- Employment prospects: According to Urban Design Mental Health, poor mental health damages a person’s employment prospects. People with mental illnesses are 10 – 15 per cent more likely to be unemployed.
- Family: When a person has a severe mental illness, family members are most likely to be carers. This can affect the carer’s employment, health, etc.
- Homelessness: Another issue that people pay lip service to. 30 – 35% of homeless people are seriously mentally ill.
Too many people are literally dying because of poor mental health. More people are suffering in silence or are getting inadequate care. Enough is enough.
If you’re Australian, feel free to sign this petition for mental health to be properly funded under Medicare.
