#ChatStarter: New program to support young mental health

The mental health of young Australians is on a steady decline, with 75 per cent reporting Covid-19 has had a negative ­impact and two in three thinking the pandemic has affected their learning.

Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention David Coleman. Picture: Gary Ramage

The mental health of young Australians is on a steady decline, with 75 per cent reporting Covid-19 has had a negative ­impact and two in three thinking the pandemic has affected their learning.

Recent research also highlighted that young people aged 13 to 25 are experiencing significantly levels of distress, self-harm and suicide ideation.

In response #ChatStarter has been launched by the National Mental Health Commission and organisations specialising in support for children, young people and parents – batyr, Beyond Blue, Butterfly Foundation, headspace, Kids Helpline, Orygen, and ReachOut.

“It’s about encouraging young people to start a conversation about how it’s OK to not be OK and it’s OK to want to talk to someone about it,” said David Coleman, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention.

“That doesn’t necessarily mean visiting a doctor or psychiatrist. It could be something as informal as going for a walk and having a chat with someone you trust.”

Anchored in the federal ­Department of Health’s Head to Health website, users of the campaign will be able to access ­resources to encourage them to talk to a peer or parent about any struggles they may experience.

They are then encouraged to film a video explaining how the program helped them through a tough time, and post it on ­social media using the hashtag #ChatStarter. This program is supported by Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. The campaign will run for the three months and provide young people and parents with the confidence to have conversations about mental health challenges during Covid-19.

National Mental Health Commission CEO Christine Morgan said the nation was being challenged by the pandemic and for many the latest restrictions felt harder than those previous.