Solutions for today
Improving mental illness start with understanding the challenge and having access to resources that can help.
4.8m
Australians with
mental disorders
800k
live with complex
mental illness
65k
Hospitalised
due to self harm
3,139
Suicides in
Australia in 2020
Understanding Mental Illness
A mental illness is a health problem that affects people’s thoughts, moods, behaviours or the way they perceive the world around them. Symptomatic mental illness can cause distress and may affect the person’s ability to function
Mental illnesses are on a spectrum from mild disorders lasting only a few weeks through to severe illnesses that can be life-long, persistent and debilitating.
Causes of mental illness include:
There are both epigenetic and genetic influencers that causes an individual to present with a mental disorder. The macro triggers include social/environmental, psychological and biological.
leading influences include
Drug and alcohol abuse
Biological factors
Social / environment influences
Social trauma and stress
Personality factors
45% of the one in five Australians living with moderate to severe mental illness experience symptoms that significantly interfere with their cognitive, emotional or social abilities.
Below is an outline of the major mental illnesses:
Helpful tools, information and advice
Nick Bracks - Move your Mind
Nick is a One in Five ambassador and champion of HOPE.
Mental health advocate using his own lived experience to help build a mentally healthier world
Looking after your mental health is one of the most important things you can do. Move your Mind shares the small gradual lifestyle changes to help you achieve real and noticeable results.
Read Nick's article in Thrive Global "my story and how to move your mind"
Connect My Mind
Dr Natalie Flatt Ph.D is a psychologist and co-founder of Connect Psych
This telehealth service has been created to support individual who are time poor or feeling more comfortable talking in an environment of their choosing.
Natalie has a strong belief in human potential and our ability to learn from ourselves and each other as a way to your build mental health.
This is Australia’s first tech based mental health eco-system. Beyond just delivering mental health services, she and her team are available when you need support outside a clinical environment.
Mental Health Services
Lifeline - 13 11 14
Suicide Call Back Service - 1300 659 467 (24 hours)
Kids Help Line - 1800 55 1800
Head to Help - 1800 595 212
Beyond Blue - 1300 22 4636 (24 Hrs)
MensLine Australia 1300 78 99 78 (open - 24/7)
PANDA - 1300 726306 (9am - 7.30pm Mon to Fri)
Qlife - for LGBTQI community 1800 184 527 (3pm - midnight everyday)
How to help reduce stigma
We all have a role to play in improving the mental health of the people around us.
According to the Department of Health, stigma is one of
the most common reasons people with mental illness are reluctant to seek help.
Stigma also increases psychological distress, which hinders the recovery
process and personal goals.
No matter the magnitude, stigma can cause harm to those targeted by it and their loved ones. But understanding all forms of stigma can help eradicate it.
To find out more about what you can do to help reduce stigma click here
You’re not alone
Nick Bracks
"I was off the rails"
hear more about Nick's journey
