Productivity Commission report shows mental ill-health costing Australia $180b per year
Mental illness is affecting Australians more than ever, with staggering consequences for workers and the economy. Now experts say something must change. HAVE YOUR SAY
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Mental ill-health is costing the economy as much as $180 billion per year or $500 million every day, a figure roughly equivalent to 10 per cent of Australia’s GDP, the Productivity Commission has found.
The draft report on the Commission’s inquiry into mental illness, which was initiated by Treasurer Josh Frydenberg last November, attributes the bulk of the cost – some $130 billion – to the diminished health and reduced life expectancy of individual Australians living with mental illness.
The remaining costs spring from direct expenditure on health services ($18 billion), lower participation and productivity ($10-$18 billion) and the value of unpaid care provided by family and friends ($15 billion).
The report reveals the staggering prevalence of mental health issues affecting Australians today. One in two of us will experience mental ill-health in our lifetime. One in five of us will experience it in any given year. And one in eight visits to GPs are related to mental health issues.
The question arises: is our mental health getting worse, or do we just have better awareness of it now?
“Most of it is better awareness, and in part that relates to the stigma related to mental illness has dropped, although it is still significant,” Presiding Commissioner Professor Stephen King told News Corp.
“We can’t tell if rates of mental illness are rising, but they’re not dropping.”
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The report revealed Australia is above the OECD average for the prevalence of mental illness, and while Prof King noted that there are theories as to why that is, mental illness was affecting all developed countries and was a worldwide problem.
The most troubling aspect of that problem is to be found in the suicide statistics: Australia’s rate of 12.2 per 100,000 of population sits just above the OECD average of 12.1 per 100,000.
The stats show no signs of dropping despite a lot of money being spent on prevention.
Data from 2010 cited by the Black Dog Institute revealed at least six Australians die from suicide every day, while today’s Productivity Commission report stated the figure is more than eight people per day.
For every death by suicide, as many as 30 people will make an attempt at self-harm, the report stated.
The Commission’s draft recommendations – to be discussed at public hearings starting mid-November – cut across the health, education, housing and business sectors.
Prof King said “no one country is getting it right” in its approach to mental illness issues, but programs and strategies that had proven effective deserved national rollout.
“Victoria and Queensland have taken approaches to support police and paramedics when they’re called out to an incident, for example, and those programs have been very successful … (they) should be rolled out on a national basis,” Prof King said.
Productivity Commission Chair Michael Brennan said early intervention was key to better mental health outcomes, and 75 per cent of people with mental illness experienced their first symptoms before the age of 25.
“Mental ill-health has huge impacts on people, communities and our economy but mental health is treated as an add-on to the physical health system. This has to change,” Mr Brennan said.
The report refers to a “generational change” needed to address the problem.
The Inquiry’s final report is due by May 2020.
Originally published as Productivity Commission report shows mental ill-health costing Australia $180b per year