Demand action on mental health

The Australian of the Year, Patrick McGorry, has broken ranks to record a video message to us about a topic we rarely discuss. Click http://www.getup.org.au/campaign/healthreform&id=979 to view it.

Half of us will experience mental ill health in our lifetime. Of your friends, family and colleagues, about 1 in 5 will suffer in this year alone - but most won't discuss it, and most won't receive treatment.

The largest healthcare reform in decades is on the cards this year - but without our support, mental health may be forgotten. This week Kevin Rudd and Tony Abbott debated healthcare for over an hour; neither mentioned mental health once.

Solutions are within our grasp. Hundreds of thousands of young Australians who desperately need help could receive it, if existing programs are expanded. Today, the Australian of the Year, Patrick McGorry, launches a campaign in partnership with GetUp. Click below to watch his message, share it with friends, and add your voice to his call:

www.getup.org.au/health

Take the number of young Australians killed in road accidents and double it: still more lives are ended prematurely by mental ill health. It is the leading killer of Australians under 45, and the leading cause of disability in Australia.

But two thirds of those who suffer never receive treatment; and for young men that figure is 90%. We wouldn't let this happen for cancer, or heart disease - or even for elective surgery. Our mental health system is in desperate need of reform.

To their credit, recent governments have supported innovation and investment in early intervention services for young people. However, there are many overdue investments in mental health reform which are ready to go. We need a much stronger community mental health system. We need to set a target of reducing suicide to zero in a decade, and invest heavily in a national education campaign to match the campaign on road deaths.

With health reform on the agenda, this year is our chance to achieve real mental healthcare reform - but as Patrick says, "if it's going to happen, politicians need to hear from you."

Watch his video message to GetUp members and take action here:

www.getup.org.au/health

GetUp members expose the truth, begin conversations and campaign for real change where others duck for cover. But there's one crisis in this country we've never spoken about: mental ill health. Now's the time to put it on the national agenda.

With hope,
The GetUp Team.

P.S. A senior official in Government told us just weeks ago that they are under little pressure for progressive change on healthcare - yet this will be one of the biggest issues in this election. In a year when massive changes to our healthcare system are on the table, we can't let that be the case.