The bad news:

  • 20% of Australians (1 in 5) suffered a mental health condition in 2017-2018 and this only includes those we know about. Remember, most people do not disclose that they have a mental health condition
  • The most common mental health conditions are depression or anxiety – this is reflected in my practice
  • Statistics drawn from 2013-2014 showed that 14% of young people aged between 4 and 17 experienced a mental health episode during that span of time. This percentage has since climbed.
  • In 2017, 3128 Australians died by suicide
  • Neurodegenerative diseases are on the rise – more than 50% or residents in residential aged care facilities have dementia (www.healthdirect.gov.au). In 2016 dementia became the leading cause of death in Australian women. Scary stuff.
  • Mental health and substance abuse disorders are the third highest burden of disease in Australia

Some good ideas:

  • Create and maintain healthy, supportive relationships. Ideas could include: call on family members and relatives, join a meet-up group, start a hobby that offers the opportunity to meet others, resuscitate friends from school or a previous job, volunteer…
  • Increase physical activity and exercise. Ideas could include joining park-run or a  local council-run walking group, sack your gardener and/or cleaner and burn up the calories yourself, get off the bus a stop earlier, exercise for free by following a YouTube exercise clip and the list goes on
  • Practice gratitude. Write down three things you are grateful for every night before you sleep. Focus on the positives; not the negatives.
  • If you don’t sleep well google some ideas to optimise sleep. Sleep is crucial for optimizing mental health
  • Learn a mindfulness or meditation strategy
  • Eat well (see our blog on the plant-based diet)
  • Avoid alcohol and other depressogens
  • Practice self-compassion and avoid comparing yourself to others. People tend to be too hard on themselves.
  • Google some more ideas or consult a psychologist.

Dr Anita Cochrane (PhD)

Clinical Psychologist

Accredited Practising Dietitian