Alcohol, drugs and mental health concern Maitland's youth

Mission Australia’s annual Youth Survey 2016, released this month, revealed that rising numbers of the state’s young people are reporting concerns about alcohol and drugs, discrimination and mental health. Over a quarter of the 7087 respondents ranked alcohol and drugs as the top issue facing Australia (28.2 per cent) followed by equity and discrimination (27.9 per cent) and mental health (22.6 per cent).

It was the first time in the study’s 15 year history that mental health entered the top three. 

Maitland headspace clinical and service integration manager Felicity Scott said the findings were largely in-keeping with what her staff were hearing from Maitland’s youth.

“Particularly if you look at the discrimination around mental health and emerging sexuality factors for young people and the impacts that has on accessing services for assistance,” she said.

Mission Australia NSW director Ben Carblis said he was particularly worried that young people highlighted mental health as a major concern facing the nation.  

“These results point to the need for a more coordinated, comprehensive and cohesive national and localised plan,” he said.

“We must also really question how early are starting to provide mental health services. Some Mission Australia staff report seeing children as young as eight with suicidal thoughts and there is often limited access to the necessary supports, particularly in regional and rural areas.”

Ms Scott said she could not comment on the presence of eight year-olds experiencing suicidal thoughts in Maitland because headspace deals with an older demographic. But, she said, headspace has seen an increase in the numbers of 12 year-olds and young teens.

“Many of these young people presenting due to situational circumstances arising from family violence,  drug and alcohol use or trauma related circumstances,” she said. “We also have clients who access our service primarily due to study and stress related factors in high school, university or job seeking years. Presentations of young people with body image/disordered eating are also increasing in presentation locally and in the Hunter Region.”