Mental Health Week is on now in Western Australia to raise awareness around mental health issues following World Mental Health Day earlier this week.
A recent survey found about 90 per cent of LGBTI community members believed mental health was one of the most significant issues in the community. However, the same survey revealed more than half (64 per cent) of those participants were not confident they could deal with the situation if they or someone close had a mental health problem.
The National LGBTI Health Alliance conducted the survey earlier this year as foundational research for their MindOUT! National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Project. National LGBTI Health Alliance General Manager Warren Talbot said the LGBTI community had ‘seriously worse mental health outcomes’ compared to the wider community.
‘The reason why mental health awareness is important is that all the research evidence indicates that mental health outcomes for LGBTI people are substantially worse, particularly, but not only, in the area of suicide,’ Talbot said.
‘The research evidence tells us that despite progress in society and social attitudes towards sexuality and gender identity, LGBTI people still have seriously worse mental health outcomes and that’s why it is a priority for the alliance.’
Talbot said research around the mental health of LGBTI people had been growing but the MindOUT survey was the first in Australia to survey individuals, LGBTI organisations and mainstream mental health organisations. Almost 2000 community members and 38 LGBTI organisations were surveyed by the Health Alliance. The project also surveyed about 140 mainstream mental health organisations although Talbot said those results were ‘alarming’.
‘One of the most alarming results there was, was that just under 20 per cent of those [organisations] had a written policy or document or strategy concerning LGBTI people,’ Talbot said.
‘In other words, 80 per cent of those organisations didn’t have a policy or a plan [for LGBTI people].
‘One of our strategies over the next two years will be to make contact with a wide range of mainstream mental health organisations and encourage them to develop policies.
‘In some cases, we’ll be encouraging each of these organisations to appoint a LGBTI champion, someone within that mental health organisation who can have particular focus and perspective on LGBTI issues.’
The MindOUT! Project is now in its second stage and the Health Alliance has big plans in the pipeline. Talbot said the MindOUT! Project now has two full time staff: a policy officer working on policy submissions to a range of government organisations and a project officer who will organise training for LGBTI organisations and raise awareness in mainstream organisations.
Mental Health Week finishes tomorrow.
* For 24-hour help, call Lifeline Australia on 13 11 14. For information about depression, call Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636 or visit www.beyondblue.org.au.
Benn Dorrington
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