Australians' attitudes to youth mental health

The state of youth mental health in Australia has become an election issue for voters, the majority of whom acknowledge that there are tens of thousands of young Australians with complex and serious mental ill-health who are unable to access the specialist care they need, a Galaxy YouGov poll has revealed.

The poll commissioned by Orygen, the National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, surveyed 1869 Australian voters last month on their attitudes to youth mental health in Australia.

The polling revealed:

• 88% of voters agreeing that early intervention was preferable to waiting until a young person was extremely unwell before seeking treatment.
• 90% agreed that young people should be able to access timely treatment in their local communities rather than waiting for a life-threatening crisis that required emergency department admission.
• 87% of voters polled agreed that young Australians should have ready access to community-based mental health care.