Content warning: contains reference to suicide
Calls for help to mental health organisations spiked more than 20 per cent in the days after the coronavirus lockdown of nine public housing towers in Melbourne.
Victoria currently has over 4,500 active coronavirus cases and has imposed strict lockdowns across metropolitan Melbourne and the Mitchell Shire.
With five million residents ordered to stay at home, mental health helplines have seen a significant surge in calls for support.
Lifeline chair John Brogden told SBS News that calls to the service began to rise sharply following the announcement that Melbourne nine public housing towers would be placed under lockdown.
“In the three days that followed, we saw a 22 per cent increase in our calls out of Victoria,” he said.
“That is massive, we rarely register increases of that size.”
During the past twelve months, Lifeline counsellors have answered an unprecedented number of calls.
Lifeline Australia's chairman John Brogden is concerned the pandemic could lead to a spike in the national suicide rate. Source: AAP
Calls to the service surged during last summer’s bushfire crisis and the start of the coronavirus pandemic in March and April.
“COVID didn't exist in the public's mind six months ago, and now dominates almost half the calls that we get,” Mr Brogden said.
“I am particularly concerned about people who have businesses...who came out of lockdown, reopened their doors, started trying to recover their business, only to have been slammed shut again.”
Other support organisations such as Beyond Blue have also reported a sharp rise in demand for support and counselling services.
“In Victoria, calls to Beyond Blue’s support services doubled in the fortnight surrounding the re-introduction of lockdowns in Melbourne and Mitchell Shire,” a spokesperson told SBS News.
"Nationally, call volumes since March have been between 40 and 60 per cent higher each month when compared to last year.”
Mr Brogden said he holds grave concerns when thinking about the impact on the virus on mental health.
“I think there's a real risk of increased suicide,” he said.
“I don’t say that easily, that's a very big call for anyone or any organisation to make.
“The longer it [the virus] is out of control, the greater the risk to people's mental health.”
Those concerns are shared by Professor Ian Hickie, director of the University of Sydney’s Brain and Mind Centre, who has been speaking with senior Victorian health officials.
Professor Ian Hickie has warned women and young people are among the most vulnerable to the mental health distress during the Coronavirus lockdown. Source: SBS News
“They are seeing the implications of more mental distress, more drug and alcohol use, more accidents and injuries and more domestic violence,” he said.
“People are in a really tense situation and they don't know where it ends. They don't know how it ends.”
Modelling released by the Brain and Mind Centre in May predicted suicide rates could rise by up to 750 to 1500 deaths a year unless a dedicated mental health response was put in place.
People are seen in long queue outside a Centrelink office in Abbotsford, Melbourne during the early weeks of the pandemic. Source: AAP
“Casual workers, women, young people who face the greatest difficulties at the moment - that's where the big mental health impacts are,” Professor Hickie said.
The Kids Helpline, run by community organisation YourTown, offers mental health support to Australians under the age of 25 and recorded a surge in calls from Victoria during the past month.
“We’ve seen heightened levels of anxiety among people presenting, maybe not even able to access any other channels of support,” CEO Tracy Adams told SBS News.
“All of this leads to young people really feeling isolated away from those that may be able to help them.”
After peaking in April, calls to the Kids Helpline from other states are slowly returning to pre-pandemic levels.
But Professor Hickie warns the impacts of lockdowns on young people will be prolonged without targeted government support.
“The fundamental structural weaknesses around young people, around casual work, around uncertainty have been revealed,” he said.
In May, the Federal Government pledged $48.1 million towards a Coronavirus mental health response program.
The Victorian State Government has also committed $2 million in funding for mental health services as part of its outbreak response.
Lifeline Chairman John Brogden urged Victorians who are feeling overwhelmed by the outbreak to reach out for help, saying there is no shame in seeking support.
“Please don't think nobody cares. Please don’t suffer in silence,” he said.
“This is a time to be hyper-vigilant about friendships, family and work colleagues.
“If you're worried about someone, please reach out to them.”
Readers seeking support can contact Lifeline crisis support on 13 11 14, Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467 and Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 (for young people aged 5 to 25).
People in Australia must stay at least 1.5 metres away from others. Check your state’s restrictions on gathering limits.
If you are experiencing cold or flu symptoms, stay home and arrange a test by calling your doctor or contact the Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080.
