<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?> <docID>330595</docID> <postdate>2024-10-10 08:58:31</postdate> <headline>Living costs deter people seeking mental health care</headline> <body><p><img class=" wp-image-176002" src="https://citynews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/man-1394395_960_720-e1728510895730.jpg" alt="" width="791" height="527" /></p> <caption>Survey revealed revealed 86 per cent of 25-34-year-olds and 60 per cent of 65-74-year-olds said they hid mental health challenges because they feared they would be stigmatised or judged by friends and colleagues.</caption> <p><span class="kicker-line">By <strong>Holly Hales</strong></span></p> <p><strong>Cost-of-living pressures are preventing many Australians from seeking mental health support, with one in three of those suffering not pursuing treatment. </strong></p> <p>Released to coincide with World Mental Health Day on Thursday, the data has been drawn from a WayAhead survey of 1000 people who had experience with a mental health challenge and 1000 who had none.</p> <p>WayAhead, the Mental Health Association of NSW, educates people about mental health and wellbeing and links them to services and resources.</p> <p>Almost half of all respondents to its survey identified the cost-of-living crisis as the biggest barrier to accessing professional mental health support.</p> <p>Seven out of 10 people with a lived experience said they could not afford services from a psychiatrist, psychologist or counsellor.</p> <p>WayAhead chief executive Sharon Grocott said soaring prices for food, fuel and housing were directly impacting how many Australians treated their mental health woes.</p> <p>"We now have an alarming number of people unable to access the help they need," she said.</p> <p>"No one should have to compromise their mental wellbeing due to financial difficulties, which is why we need to make mental health services more affordable and accessible."</p> <p>The survey found that 45 per cent of people with mental health conditions could not afford self-care or well-being programs while 33 per cent could not afford medications.</p> <p>It revealed 86 per cent of 25-34-year-olds and 60 per cent of 65-74-year-olds said they hid mental health challenges because they feared they would be stigmatised or judged by friends and colleagues.</p> <p>A survey by the youth mental health organisation headspace Australia found eight in 10 family members held concerns about their young person's mental health.</p> <p>The most concerned family members were those caring for an LGBTQI young person (90 per cent) and those who belonged to multicultural communities (85 per cent), the inaugural headspace National Family Mental Health Survey found.</p> <p>The survey quizzed 2059 family members, including parents, carers, siblings, elders, close friends and step family, who cared for young people aged 12-25.</p> <p>Results of another poll by YouGov – which questioned 1619 Australians on how the federal government should increase support for people with complex mental illness after the Bondi Junction attack – will be released on Thursday.</p> <p>Executive director of the Australian Association of Psychologists, Tegan Carrison, said there was a continued urgency to address money-related access issues.</p> <p>"Not only is it increasing distress, but it is also preventing those affected from accessing the support they desperately need," she said.</p> <p>"To improve access to professional mental health services, we need to increase the Medicare rebate and expand the number of subsidised sessions Australians can access."</p> <p>Mental Health Week continues in Australia until Sunday.</p> </body>