Southside study reveals real cost of ignoring mental health

Taxpayers could save $482 million over the next decade if governments tackle root causes of mental distress in Brisbane’s southern suburbs and Logan, a groundbreaking study has found.

Authors Paul Crosland and Professor Ian Hickie, both from Sydney’s Brain and Mind Centre, said Logan, in particular, stood to benefit with the modelling giving local and national leaders methods for investing more wisely. Images: Sydney University

A major new study has placed Brisbane’s southern suburbs and Logan at the centre of a bold proposal to improve mental health and reduce public spending by hundreds of millions of dollars over the next decade.

The study found that even small adjustments to improve social issues such as homelessness, drug misuse, unemployment, and childhood adversity could lead to significant mental health gains across the Brisbane South Primary Health Network region, which includes Logan, Redlands, Mt Gravatt, and surrounding suburbs.

Along with advanced simulation modelling, the research used real live case studies to estimate the long-term economic and health impacts of such changes on a population of 1.2 million people living south of Brisbane.

Over 11 years, the modelling found an estimated $482 million could be saved through reduced hospital visits, fewer suicides, and increased productivity.

For 24-year-old Kangaroo Point resident Jordan van Rosmalen, who took part in the study as a lived experience contributor, the findings echo her own journey navigating Queensland’s mental health system.

Kangaroo Point resident Jordan van Rosmalen, 24, was part of the study, giving her lived experience. Picture: Contributed

Ms van Rosmalen said her mental health deteriorated to the point where she required treatment across almost every level of care available.

“I started experiencing mental health challenges as a teenager and continued to into adulthood,” she said.

“I saw basically every corner of the system at one point or another from inpatient, outpatient, community and allied health, some private providers too.

“What that experience taught me was there were a lot of types of mental health services around, but few able to provide the type of support I needed at that time.”

She believes the study’s economic modelling has the potential to beneficially shift government policy and investment priorities.

The study, published in Nature Mental Health, estimated that just a 5 per cent reduction in substance misuse could generate savings of $274.8 million.

Tackling childhood emotional and behavioural issues at the same level could also add another $234.6 million in value.

Even small improvements in social cohesion could deliver $147.2 million in returns, while modest drops in unemployment would bring an estimated $101.2 million in savings.

Co-author of the study and co-director of Sydney’s Brain and Mind Centre Professor Ian Hickie said Logan, in particular, stood to benefit with the modelling giving local and national leaders methods for investing more wisely.

Professor Hickie said with one of the state’s youngest populations and high rates of youth unemployment and housing stress, Logan was often at the coalface of complex social and health challenges.

“Clinics and medicines remain essential, but they simply won’t be enough to get us out of this mental health crisis,” he said.

Health economist and lead author Paul Crosland, who is also based at Sydney’s Brain and Mind Centre, said the evidence backed a shift in spending focus.

He said the modelling showed that eliminating social causes of distress, rather than relying solely on clinical services, delivered significant economic dividends, reduced pressure on hospitals, and lifted overall community wellbeing.

“This is important when you consider the fact that rates of mental distress continue to rise despite large investments in treatments and services.”

For Ms van Rosmalen, the technology also offers a path to locally tailored solutions.

“These types of technologies are essential to understanding local need and providing tools to implement solutions that work for a particular group of people,” she said.

“I hope this study is picked up by decision-makers because it has great insight to the Brisbane south region, but also draws conclusions that apply across a variety of areas.”

Originally published as Southside study reveals real cost of ignoring mental health