A new study highlights a growing crisis in Australia’s youth mental health services, revealing that teens are waiting an average of 99.6 days to begin treatment for anxiety and depression.
This delay, described by researchers as “critical,” is exacerbating mental health challenges for many young people.
The study, published in BMJ Open, surveyed 375 Australians aged 13 to 17.
Professor Bridianne O’Dea, lead researcher at the Black Dog Institute and UNSW Sydney, warns that the delay is putting teens at risk of worsening mental distress.
“We are now in the midst of a crisis where the demand for youth mental health care has increased rapidly in the past two decades,” she says.
The wait is especially concerning as many teens resort to “unhelpful” coping strategies while awaiting treatment.
Dr Mirjana Subotic-Kerry, lead author of the study and provisional psychologist based at the Black Dog Institute and UNSW Medicine & Health, emphasises the need for better support during this wait time.
“Young people reported that they experienced a high level of psychological distress during this period,” she says.
“They felt a strong sense of abandonment and a loss of hope.
“In an effort to manage or alleviate their distress, some teens were engaging in unhelpful behaviours that can have both short- and long-term negative outcomes.”
Easing the burden of wait times
When asked how their waiting experience could be improved, approximately 50% of the young people surveyed said better communication and regular check-ins from service providers could help alleviate their distress.
Simple yet effective strategies based on more frequent and transparent communication could be easily implemented during this critical waiting period, says Dr Subotic-Kerry.
“Young people didn’t propose complex structural systems or interventions during the wait time,” she says.
“They had really simple suggestions, such as increasing the amount of contact they received, and receiving information and communication about the wait time.
“Essentially, they just wanted more frequent contact from their providers.”
Call for wait times to improve
Professor O’Dea says reducing wait times should be a priority.
She calls for the introduction of national wait time benchmarks – evidence-based goals, or standards, that define the appropriate time to wait for mental health treatment, with the aim of minimising risks to individuals’ health.
“Governments introduced national standards for wait times in the UK and other countries,” she says.
“These are benchmarks around the acceptable wait that young people should experience when seeking mental health treatment.”
Professor O’Dea says this is a critical time in Australia, as the mental health crisis among younger generations intensifies.
Providing greater transparency and accountability through the introduction of standards offers young people and their families the insight they need into the realities of service delivery and expected wait times.
“Our finding that young people are waiting a long time to access mental health services is not surprising,” she says.
‘Yet, while we can work with young people to improve their self-management, the time is right for Australia to seriously consider the use of national standards.”
