No work done on mental impact

The Victorian government has not commissioned any modelling on the mental health impact of the state’s prolonged lockdown.

Despite the widespread recognition of the effects on mental health the pandemic has had, the Victorian Government has not commissioned any modelling new modelling. Picture: NCA NewsWire/ David Crosling

The Victorian government has not commissioned any modelling on the mental health impact of the state’s prolonged lockdown, despite widespread recognition of the suffering inflicted through months of harsh restrictions.

A response from the Department of Health and Human Services­ to a Freedom of Inform­ation request made on August 7 said no documents relating to briefings, notes and correspondence relating to the mental health impact could be found.

The request lodged by Melbourne­ man Phillip Carr, and provided to The Australian, sought documentation “with respec­t to the rate of suicide, self-harm, mental harm or other health impacts consequent to family breakdown, business distress, or other stressors’’ arising directly or indirectly from stage-four lockdowns.

DHHS executive director of legal services Annalise Bamford replied that “the Health and Wellbeing division conducted a thorough and diligent search and advised that no relevant documents have been located”.

When asked if DHHS had commissioned modelling or research­ on the mental health impact of the lockdown, a spokeswoman said DHHS was convening weekly forums with mental health services to discuss demand trends, including the impact of COVID-19.

“The Victorian government spoke to important mental health modelling they had received­ from Orygen youth health earlier in the pandemic,” she said. “The DHHS also seeks and receives ongoing advice and data from a variety of official sources in the sector.”

The spokeswoman said DHHS was also working closely with the federal government via the National Mental Health and Wellbeing Pandemic Response Plan, with the state government investing an additional $220m in mental health support.

Youth mental health service Orygen released modelling in May that predicted 82,000 Victorians aged 12-25 could experience mental health disorders as a result of the pandemic.

And mental health modelling released in March by the University of Sydney’s Brain and Mind Centre predicted 750 more people­ could die through suicide each year for the next five years, as well as a $5bn hit to worker productivity with the pandemic.

On Tuesday, Victorian Mental Health Minister James Mer­lino said the number of teenagers presenting to emergency departments for suicidal ideation and self-harm had risen by 25-30 per cent over the three months to September 30.

“We knew from the start and all the experts were telling us that the pandemic … would have a serious impact on mental health,” he said in question time. “Feelings of stress, isolation … We have seen an increase in demand­ for services.”

However, the state’s suicide rate has remained steady during lockdown, according to the latest data from the Coroners Court of Victoria, with 530 deaths compared­ to 534 last year.