NATSILMH Chair Professor Pat Dudgeon marked World Mental Health Day by calling on Australian Governments to close the mental health gap between Indigenous and other Australians.
“Indigenous Australians are already suffering double the rates of psychological distress, mental illnesses and suicide as other Australians, but the data suggests the gap may be getting wider. At very least we are suffering an entrenched crisis, with little improvement over the past decade”, Professor Dudgeon said.
“Yet I am cautiously optimistic. The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan, the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention Strategy, and a new drug and alcohol strategy are commendable and are currently being operationalised. As a result, we could see reductions in suicide rates and drug and alcohol use over the next decade. However, on their own these responses are not likely to be enough.
“Most importantly, the National Strategic Framework for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ Mental Health and Social and Emotional Wellbeing 2014-2019 in development provides a unique opportunity to develop a dedicated action plan to close the mental health gap within our lifetimes. Indigenous Australians have never had such a dedicated plan and it could make all the difference.”
NATSILMH member Dr Tom Calma AO also called on the Australian Government to develop a dedicated mental health action plan as a priority in Indigenous Affairs.
“We cannot close our eyes to the fact that mental health problems underpin so many other challenges in our communities. I welcome the Australian Government’s Indigenous Affairs priorities of reducing unemployment and truancy, and to increasing community safety. But without a concerted effort to close the mental health gap any gains are likely to be unsustainable,” said Dr Calma.
“On World Mental Health Day 2014, we call on Australian governments to adopt a bipartisan approach and make closing the mental health gap a further priority for Indigenous Affairs,” said Professor Dudgeon and Dr Calma
For more information about NATSILMH visit www.natsilmh.org.au
