Invest in your mental health, the saying goes.
While this rings true at an individual level, it's also true at a government level.
Which is why federal funding to expand the Newcastle headspace office is greatly welcomed.
Headspace centres provide early intervention services to 12 to 25 year olds with mild to moderate mental illness.
They work with young people to provide support at a crucial time in their lives.
This much-needed support aims to help get them back on track and strengthen their ability to manage their mental health in the future.
Headspace presently provides services to almost 1300 young people in the Hunter.
Nevertheless, the service has faced growing demand and waiting times.
Demand has risen by 20 per cent a year since the service began six years ago. Patient needs have also been increasing in complexity.
The $1.7 million increase in funding over three years comes in addition to the $1 million a year the service already receives.
As well as enabling headspace to expand its premises, the funding increase will ensure more young people can get treatment when they need it.
The extra funding is overdue recognition of a massive problem in the Hunter and elsewhere.
More attention in this area has been needed for years. The investment can also be seen as another positive step towards reducing the stigma of mental illness.
It's an astonishing and alarming fact that the Newcastle headspace service is about 50 per cent busier than the national average of headspace centres around the country. Research should be done to find out why.
Researchers have drawn links between the rise in mental illness among young people and the rise of social media and the immersive digital world. This suggests a generational shift in mood disorders.
Some hypotheses into the causes of this problem focus on young people having fewer face-to-face interactions than previously. There's also concern that young people sleep less - or get less quality sleep - than previous generations. And many don't exercise enough.
Diets among young people, generally speaking, have never been great. Now they seem worse. But then, few age groups can escape the obesity epidemic.
The increased opportunities that social media gives to bullying, prejudice and discrimination have also been linked to the rise in mental illness.
The good news is that there are ways to address these apparent causes. This is why organisations like headspace are vital. They teach young people ways to manage their lives to improve their wellbeing. They encourage them to invest in their mental health. For many, it will be the best investment they ever make.
ISSUE: 39,445.
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