Experts warn mental health is South Australia’s ‘hidden epidemic’ as the Sunday Mail launches a new campaign, Let’s Talk: Our State of Mind 2020
The Sunday Mail’s “Let’s Talk: Our State of Mind” campaign launches today and recognises mental health as the one of the most significant coronavirus casualties of 2020 affecting SA.
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Psychiatric consultations and mental health presentations at emergency departments have increased dramatically in South Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic, with experts labelling the “hidden epidemic” a “third wave”.
And people aged under 25 are making up half of the extra mental health demand at EDs across metropolitan Adelaide since June, the state’s chief psychiatrist says.
Meanwhile it could take four years for the state to recover from the mental strain of the past seven months, as some of the health impacts continue to surface and will continue to do so for some time.
Investigations by the Sunday Mail reveal:
SOUTH Australians at greatest risk are young adults, the unemployed, small business owners, working women with children at home, and carers.
PSYCHIATRIC consultations increased by 5000 from March to June across the state.
THERE was a 20 per cent rise in mental health presentations at the Emergency Department of SA’s biggest hospital for the past four months.
ANTIDEPRESSANT prescriptions have steadily increased since March, compared to 2019.
PSYCHIATRISTS have closed their doors to new patients until next year.
AMBULANCE mental health callous last month jumped 23 per cent compared to last year.
RURAL services and waiting lists are at breaking point.
The “Let’s Talk: Our State of Mind” campaign, launched this weekend during Mental Health Week, initiative recognises mental health as the one of the most significant and long-lasting coronavirus casualties.
SA Chief Psychiatrist Dr John Brayley said he was confident the strain on the state’s already pressured mental health system would improve, but early intervention was the absolute key.
“When people develop persistent symptoms of anxiety, sadness, sleep disturbance, lethargy, difficulty concentrating and avoidance from others – which can be some of the warning signs – they must seek help,” said Dr Brayley.
He said the mental health system needed “significant improvement”, but that the gaps had been identified and mapped for action in the state’s mental health services plan.
Private Psychiatrist Dr Michelle Atchison, also Australian Medical Associate SA vice-president, said doctors and psychologists across private and public sectors were describing the mental health impacts of COVID-19 as a “third wave”.
Dr Atchison said there were patients with existing mental health conditions exacerbated by the pandemic and new patients developing conditions in response to it that were waiting up to three months on average to see a psychiatrist.
AMA SA president Dr Chris Moy said GPs across the state had reported marked increases in patients presenting with anxiety, depression, paranoid conditions and drug and alcohol overuse.
“It is likely that we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg, with the mental illness and drug and alcohol abuse very much being the hidden epidemic caused by an anxious time with increased stresses and isolation,” Dr Moy said.
Community mental health prevention and support services are also stretched across the state.
AnglicareSA’s free specialist suicide support and prevention program can support 45 clients at any one time; in August there were more than 60 people needing the service’s help.
“The increase in referrals is an indication that there are many people in our community struggling and needing help at the moment – historically, we have never supported this many clients at once,” said AnglicareSA suicide prevention and grief support manager Michael Traynor.
Mt Gambier’s mental health service provider for children and youth, Headspace, said its wait time for a first session therapy appointment had grown from about three weeks before COVID to up to 16 weeks now. Central Adelaide Local Health Network Mental Health and Prison Health executive director Dr John Mendoza said there had been a consistent escalation in the number of people seeking acute mental hath care at the Royal Adelaide Hospital since June.
“There is certainly a lot of anxiety, particularly among small business owners and I think we are at a very important junction right now,” Dr Mendoza said.
“If we don’t see a return back to normal employment levels we could see (mental health) get worse – and history tells us that.” Dr Mendoza said South Australians must band together, as they had done so well in keeping the virus at bay. “As a community we need to … stand by those who are struggling because we will see more and more people in distress as this continues and we can help by being caring and supportive,” he said.
The Federal Government on Monday acknowledged the crisis, announcing it would pump about $265 million over four years from 2020/21 to improve access to mental health services for youth and veterans and provide 10 extra psychology sessions a year under the MBS.
The State Government also is working on easing ED pressure and providing mental health support in the community through new initiatives (see breakout).
Mental Health Coalition of South Australia executive director Geoff Harris said the State Government’s new Urgent Mental Health Care Centre (UMHCC) would be a “big help” and its opening was an “urgent priority”. But he said more was needed: “Investing more in community support programs and opening them up so that people can self-refer to mental health programs and support, alongside programs where people are given in home support after experiencing a crisis is urgently needed now.”
SA Salaried Medical Officers Association’s (SASMOA) senior industrial officer Bernadette Mulholland said reducing the increasing numbers of ED patient presentations required more mental health beds and better staffing of community and child and adolescent mental health services.
“Until government accepts that more funding is necessary … then the Emergency Departments will continue to be the go-to for mental health patients needing health care,” Ms Mulholland said.
State opposition health spokesman Chris Picton said the proper resourcing of SA’s mental health services would significantly reduce ramping and hospital overcrowding.
“The situation we’re seeing now is sadly only getting worse because of the economic impact of the pandemic,” Mr Picton said.
“And this crisis doesn’t just affect mental health patients – the delays regularly takes out over a quarter of emergency department beds because there’s nowhere for these patients to go.”
Health Minister Stephen Wade said the State Government had boosted funding for mental health by almost $20 million since the 2018 election and spends 10 per cent more on mental health services than the national average. He said there was a model of care now in place to improve mental health services at the RAH and more dedicated mental health beds, plus initiatives to divert more appropriate care to mental health consumers.
“This year has presented unprecedented difficulties due to the COVID-19 pandemic, bushfires and drought but we have responded by ensuring there is more funding and support available than ever before to support our community through these challenges,” Mr Wade said.
If you need someone to talk to, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or go here for more mental health resources and tips for dealing with depression and anxiety.