The Prevention Coalition in Mental Health
Partnerships and collaboration are critical to success in wellbeing and prevention efforts, and Prevention United is proud to be a member of the Prevention Coalition in Mental Health – a group of like-minded organisations committed to enhancing Australia’s approach to preventive mental health.
Building a Strong and Sustainable Preventive Mental Health System for Australia: A Joint Statement by the Prevention Coalition in Mental Health
Despite steadily increasing investment in mental healthcare services over the last few decades, the prevalence of mental health conditions in Australia is rising rather than falling, services are struggling to keep up with demand, and individual, government and societal costs are escalating. The pandemic and recent natural disasters have further exacerbated a crisis in mental health. While a dramatic increase in mental healthcare spending is needed, upstream investment in primary prevention is also critical to managing the crisis. The Prevention Coalition in Mental Health therefore calls on all political parties and candidates to make the primary prevention of mental health conditions a core pillar of their mental health policy.
You can read the full statement here.
Statement on the release of the National Preventive Health Strategy
The Prevention Coalition in Mental Health congratulates the Federal Government on the launch of the National Preventive Health Strategy. We are particularly pleased to see promoting and protecting mental health and reducing alcohol and other drug harm feature in the new Strategy as focus areas.
We can no longer afford to leave mental health out of our preventative health and public health initiatives, and the Prevention Coalition in Mental Health looks forward to working closely with Federal, State and Territory governments, and other key stakeholders in making this Strategy a success. Please access our full statement on the release of the Strategy here.
Prevention Consensus Statement
In any given year, 1 in 7 children and adolescents and 1 in 5 adults will experience a mental disorder, while almost 1 in 2 Australians will experience a mental disorder at some point in their life.
The personal, social, and economic impacts of these conditions are enormous. Mental disorders cause considerable distress, contribute to psychosocial disability, and increase the risk of suicide. They cost the Australian community between $43-$70 billion annually.
But mental disorders are not inevitable, and many common mental disorders can be prevented from occurring, through public policies and evidence-based programs, many of which already exist but are not being implemented effectively or to a sufficient scale.
This Prevention Consensus Statement has been developed by the Prevention Coalition in Mental Health, an informal group of like-minded organisations with a shared belief in the importance of prevention in the mental health field.
The Prevention Consensus Statement sets out what we can do to prevent depression, anxiety, and other conditions right now as we work our way through the social and economic challenges wrought by COVID-19, and into the future.
Enhancing our focus on prevention will strengthen individuals and communities, save money, and save lives.
Please access the full document and summary document below.
