Rapid deployment of support for a mental health crisis: 10 priorities framing Australia’s COVID-19 pandemic response
Jane Desborough
A * , Grant Blashki B C , Sally Hall Dykgraaf D , Ruth Vine E , Mark Roddam E , Ashvini Munindradasa F and Michael Kidd F G H I J K
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Department of Health Services Research and Policy, National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, College of Health and Medicine, Australian National University, 63 Eggleston Road, Acton, ACT 2601, Australia.
B Nossal Institute for Global Health and Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute, The University of Melbourne, Grattan Street, Parkville, Vic. 3010, Australia.
C Beyond Blue, 1/360 Burwood Road, Hawthorn, Vic. 3122, Australia.
D Rural Clinical School, ANU Medical School, College of Health and Medicine, Australian National University, 54 Mills Road, Acton, ACT 2601, Australia.
E Health Systems Policy and Primary Care Group, Australian Government Department of Health, 23 Furzer Street, Woden, ACT 2615, Australia.
F College of Health and Medicine, Australian National University, 54 Mills Road, Acton, ACT 2601, Australia.
G Australian Government Department of Health, 23 Furzer Street, Woden, ACT 2615, Australia.
H Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto, 500 University Avenue, Toronto, ON M5G 1V7, Canada.
I World Health Organization Collaborating Centre on Family Medicine and Primary Care.
J Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne, Vic., Australia.
K Southgate Institute for Health, Society and Equity, Flinders University, SA 5042, Australia.
* Correspondence to: jane.desborough@anu.edu.au
Australian Journal of Primary Health 28(4) 271-282 https://doi.org/10.1071/PY22006
Submitted: 15 June 2021 Accepted: 28 February 2022 Published: 24 May 2022
© 2022 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of La Trobe University. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND)
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged the mental health of communities worldwide, with the triple pressures of financial insecurity, lockdowns, and worry about the infection. Australia rapidly deployed resources to protect the mental wellbeing of the community through supplementing existing services, supporting at-risk groups, investing in social supports, embracing technology, and supporting the health workforce. This paper describes the Australian Government’s investment in mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic in relation to the 10 priority areas identified in Australia’s National Mental Health Pandemic Response Plan.
Keywords: community, COVID-19, mental health, policy.
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