Coronavirus mental health crisis deepens, more Australians seek help

Lifeline and Beyond Blue are reporting a surge in the number of Australians seeking help as the COVID-19 mental health crisis deepens.

A special mental health campaign has been launched as more Australians suffering from the pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic seek help.

Health Minister Greg Hunt announced the ‘How’s your head today?’ campaign on Sunday, saying the crisis has had a significant effect on the mental health and wellbeing of many people across the country, particularly Victorians.

“The pandemic has caused isolation, job losses and financial stress for many families, with crisis organisations and suicide prevention services experiencing higher demand,” Mr Hunt said.

“Lifeline and Beyond Blue are reporting a significant increase in the number of people seeking help, and for more complex issues.

“The mental health impact of the pandemic is also borne out by Medicare statistics, which show a significant uptake of mental health telehealth services.”

Health Minister Greg Hunt is urging Australians suffering mental health strain from the COVID-19 pandemic to seek help. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

He said the $10 million campaign would run on TV, radio, in shopping centres and other venues, online and through social media, and aimed to raise awareness about how to identify when something is wrong, and encourage people to seek help.

“Ten additional Medicare-subsidised psychological therapy sessions are available for people subjected to further restrictions in areas impacted by the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.

“Victorians can also access free-of-charge 15 HeadtoHelp centres across the state, or visit Headtohelp.org.au.”

On Monday, there were 2873 total sessions on the HeadtoHealth website, well above the average sessions of around 1200 a day.

The campaign will be provided in 15 languages across radio and print including Vietnamese, Arabic, Mandarin, Cantonese, Greek, Italian, Korean, Spanish, Punjabi, Hindi, Khmer, Thai, Turkish, Persian and Macedonian.