Technology the way to help young Australians

07 December 2017

ReachOut Australia today welcomed Mission Australia’s Youth Survey report noting that mental health is now the number one issue of concern for young Australians.

ReachOut CEO Jono Nicholas said that the survey finding was worrying but not surprising.

“ReachOut has seen an increase in demand across its service, including a 40% spike in access to LGBTQIA+ support services attributed to the same-sex marriage postal survey,” Mr Nicholas said.

The Mission Australia Youth Survey also found that friends and family were the most commonly cited sources of help for young people, followed by the internet, with over half of young people indicating they would go online for help.

ReachOut welcomed Mission Australia’s recommendations about the importance of technology to provide an alternative to face-to-face service delivery

Mr Nicholas said young Australians were digital natives, and it was natural they would go online to explore mental health concerns and seek help.

“Mental health issues are growing and services like ReachOut can help schools, universities and workplaces support their students and employees to stay mentally well,” Mr Nicholas said.

“We know that we can’t reach the growing number of people that need help by simply employing more and more counsellors, psychologists and psychiatrists – government budgets can’t afford it and it’s not what young people want.”

“The earlier we intervene the better the outcomes. So we need to educate and support young people to stay well rather than wait for them to end up in the mental health system.”

ReachOut is Australia’s most visited frontline mental health service for young people and their parents, serving 1.58 million Australians per year.

ReachOut provides immediate help and support to build awareness and inspire young people to take control of their lives.