Proactive MH & wellbeing is key.
Who remembers the “Life. Be in it” advertising campaign that aired in Australia during the late 70’s, early 80’s? It featured likeable, beer-bellied “Norm”, on a reluctant journey of discovering the value of physical exercise and nutrition. That campaign was recognised by industry experts as one of the most successful public health promotion campaigns in Australian history. It was a shift away from the traditional approach of predominantly focussing resources on the treatment of physical ill-health, to an emphasis on health promotion and prevention.
The success of the “Life. Be in it” campaign highlights the valuable role health promotion and prevention initiatives can play in addressing population level health challenges. The widespread effects of the current mental health crisis within Australia has been well documented. With recent hardships experienced in response to the COVID-19 pandemic further contributing to the burden on an already overwhelmed mental health system. Within Australia, we physically cannot produce enough mental health clinicians through the appropriate training channels to meet the demand for service.
In response to this increasing demand, recent years has seen a sustained focus on resources dedicated to treatment of mental illness. Treatment of mental illness is vital, and forms an essential piece of a comprehensive approach to mental health and wellbeing. But it is one aspect of the approach, not the whole approach. Wellbeing and mental health promotion and prevention are also critical pieces of the puzzle. There is doubtless some moves towards incorporating proactive approaches to wellbeing already within specific sectors, but the government needs to do much more at a policy and funding level to really enable health promotion and prevention strategies to have significant impact.
A recent report handed down from the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System strongly supports this need to increase investment and action in prevention and promotion of mental health. Encouragingly, strong evidence already exists on the return of investment on evidence-based wellbeing initiatives focussed on promotion and prevention. Schools and workplaces are leading the way in implementing system-based wellbeing initiatives that address promotion and prevention as integral strategic approaches. But we need a broader approach, one that addresses building wellbeing capability at an individual and a collective level. An approach that looks not just at school and workplaces, but to public health systems, communities and not for profit organisations, federal and local government, as well as individuals and families. We all have vital roles to play in embedding widespread wellbeing approaches. This universal action towards cultivating and developing wellbeing is critical if we are to address the current levels of mental ill-health and illness within Australia, and to look to nurture societies that not only survive, but thrive.