Australia News: Teens Believe Mental Health is Most Pressing Issue Among Teens in the Country, Survey Shows
A recent survey in Australia has revealed that the youth in the said country believe mental health is the most pressing issue among the teens.
The survey conducted by Mission Australia, which was participated in by 24,055 young Australians aging between 15 and 19, has shown that a third of the youth population, 33.7 percent to be exact, said that mental health is the most pressing issue among the youth in Australia. The results displayed a rise more than double when compared to the results released in 2015, which was only 14. 9 percent.
"This report tells us that many young people facing challenges reach out to friends and family for support. I can tell you from experience that family members and friends need to know how to navigate the bewildering variety of services and information sources that are available, and be provided with targeted information about 'mental health first aid' and other practical supports that exist,"Mission Australia CEO James Toomey said of the results of the survey.
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The survey revealed that coping with stress, body image, and depression were the main concerns of Australian teens, believing that mental health is a major deterrent for them to achieve their goals in life, just like academic ability and financial difficulty.
For Toomey, the results of the survey also revealed that millennials are more than just the notion of being a group obsessed with selfies as they suggest that the young people of today are aware of relevant social issues, too. Hence, for Toomey, it is just proper for societies to give the millennials the voice and opportunities to to take part in decisions that will impact their lives eventually.
According to reports, funding for youth mental health in the Australian government's public health system declined at the time when it is most needed. In fact, youth mental health expert and former Australian of the Year awardee Patrick McGorry revealed earlier that youth mental health services are "threadbare" and a "wasteland" in the most populous Australian states.
"We don't have a youth mental health system. We've got a child and adolescent system and then an adult system, in which the young people fall right into a huge gulf," McGorry said in an interview.
Apart from mental health issue, 32 percent of those surveyed also believe alcohol and drugs are pressing issues, while 27.3 percent worry about equality and discrimination.
