The time for action on youth mental health is now

A landmark report published in September described youth mental health worldwide as entering a ‘dangerous phase’ following steady declines over the past two years, calling on a ‘paradigm shift’ to tackle the crisis.

Adding to this focus on youth mental health is the Australian Government’s COVID-19 Response Inquiry Report published last month that puts youth mental health on the same footing. The report called for an urgent commitment to tackle the pandemic’s continuing impact on youth mental health.

It’s not just the pandemic that is taking its toll here. The Commission points to the deep and widespread impact of global megatrends more broadly – global unrest, the cost-of-living crisis and climate change to name a few – as contributors to the mental ill-health of young people.

These two landmark reports paint a dire picture of youth mental health in crisis. We cannot delay urgent investment in mental health promotion and prevention strategies that address the unique needs of young people in every corner of their lives, especially within the school and tertiary environments.

Seventy-five per cent of all mental health problems will emerge before the age of 24, making this early intervention paramount.

The Commission calls for investment in a collaborative effort to create a framework for youth mental health, starting with mental health promotion and community awareness. It looks to initiatives such as Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) that educate the public on recognising and appropriately responding to the early signs of mental ill-health in young people as forming the first layer of this model.

This is an essential first step in alleviating the burden of mental ill-health and improving help seeking behaviours, as well as tackling the mental health stigma and insufficient knowledge that can act as a barrier to care.

We know that those who support young people may be the first point of contact for one who is experiencing mental health problems or a mental health crisis. Embedding MHFA training into school communities is critical to equipping our educators with the necessary skills to lead the charge on youth mental health. A whole-of-school approach to MHFA will empower students, teachers, and parents to recognise and respond to the signs that someone may be struggling, and to intervene early.

Schools such as Waverley College are paving the way when it comes to youth mental health. James Horrocks, head of wellbeing at the college, believes that mental health support for young people must go beyond the counsellor’s office – it should be integrated into everyday school life, from classroom practices to leadership positions.

Every staff member of Waverley College – from teachers to administration, from maintenance to school leadership – is trained in Youth Mental Health First Aid. Each staff member is equipped to recognise and respond to a young person experiencing mental health problems or mental health crisis.

This approach needs to be spread widely across Australia and should also extend to pre-service teachers to create a generation of educators who are equipped to enter the classroom prepared to support students’ mental wellbeing from day one.

The recent launch of our MHFA training program for health professional students, funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care, is a promising step in the right direction.

It equips future doctors, nurses, and allied health professionals with the skills to understand and support their own and their patients’ mental health, with early evaluation showing impact in increasing understanding of self-care and intention to support others.

It’s time that the Australian Government invested in expanding this commitment to educators and others who play pivotal roles in the lives of young Australians. A whole-of-school approach that includes pre-service teacher training will allow our next generation of educators to step into the classroom ready to foster supportive, inclusive school communities that encourage early intervention and mental health awareness.

Through approaches like these, we can create circles of safety and support around our young people, with every adult in their lives speaking a shared language of care and understanding. This will help to guide young Australians through their peak adolescent years – a time when the risk of mental health problems is at its highest – with a foundation built around compassion, empathy, understanding and support.

However, investing in mental health also means making it accessible. A whole-of-system approach to reform is needed to ensure every young person can access the help they need when and where they need it.

This means stronger investment in a national network of Medicare walk-in mental health centres and expanded Headspace facilities. These would serve as essential hubs for young people to seek help close to home, without the barriers of long wait times or financial strain.

Creating spaces within communities where young people can access mental health support promptly will allow us to not only address immediate needs but also build a sustainable foundation for long-term mental health and wellbeing.

To echo the calls from the COVID-19 Response Inquiry and the Lancet Psychiatry Commission into Youth Mental Health – the time to act is now.

Failure to do so will have lasting consequences on our youth and society at large.

Angus Clelland is CEO of Mental Health First Aid Australia.