Reach out to friends and loved ones who are in quarantine

ONE of the biggest concerns to come out of the COVID-19 pandemic, aside from the virus spreading like wildfire, the state of mental health in the community

ONE of the biggest concerns to come out of the COVID-19 pandemic, aside from the virus spreading like wildfire, is the impact of quarantine and isolation on people’s mental health.

It prompted federal Health Minister Greg Hunt to launch the $10m ‘How’s your head today?’ campaign, with organisations and suicide prevention services experiencing higher demand due to the pandemic.

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In October in the Territory it was revealed that mental health presentations at Royal Darwin Hospital had soared by about 30 per cent.

Reports of a lack of mental health checks out at the Howard Springs quarantine facility are concerning.

Mental health struggles existed prior to COVID-19 but the pandemic has accelerated how important it is to look after our heads.

It is the responsibility of people inside and outside of quarantine facilities to ensure people in isolation are all right.

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Those who have a friend or loved one in quarantine, reach out to them and ask how they are.

For people in quarantine, don’t be afraid to ask for help because support is there and waiting to be accepted.

If people on the inside are reporting a lack of mental health checks, it suggests there could be a review on how to support them, because as much as we want to keep COVID-19 out of our communities, we want to do it as safely as possible.

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