IN the past 12 months more than 2000 people in Dubbo between the ages of 12 and 25 have sought support from a local early intervention mental health service for a range of issues including family breakdown, bullying, self-harming, anxiety and depression and body image concerns.
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Since the doors of headspace Dubbo opened in 2015, staff have provided 2633 face-to-face appointments and received more than 750 referrals into the service.
Headspace Dubbo team leader Rachel Thomas said with research revealing younger people were more likely to have a mental disorder than older people, it was important to help the local youth.
“Results from the ABS National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing, 2007, found that around a quarter of all young people aged 16-24 years had a mental disorder,” Ms Thomas said.
“It also found that young people were more likely to have anxiety disorders (15 per cent) and substance use disorders (13 per cent) than affective disorders (6 per cent).
“Just under a quarter of young people (23 per cent) with a mental disorder accessed mental health services in the previous year. The earlier we can support and treat mental health issues, the less likely it is to be a lifelong condition.”
This Friday will also mark headspace Dubbo’s first birthday and in the year since it opened it has been involved in a number of community events, presenting information on the importance of youth mental health to local students and regional education institutions.
Ms Thomas said it was important to have a headspace office at Dubbo because rural and regional areas were under resourced.
“Headspace Dubbo is a brand that people in the community are familiar with and trusted, it’s solely dedicated to youth and their support networks,” she said.
“Typically rural and remote areas are under resourced in the mental health field and having headspace in Dubbo means that people don’t have to travel long distances for help. Having a team of trusted local health professionals is also more meaningful for those seeking help because we understand the culture of rural areas.”
Ms Thomas said headspace’s aim for the next 12 months was to educate every year 7 grade across the area to let them know how they could best look after their own mental health and their friends’ mental health as well.
“We want them to get familiar with us and our services, and become more proactive about their own care and seeking help,” she said.
“We are also focusing on family inclusion and giving parents a voice in the delivery of services that they wish for their child. Our team has the essence of a family who is dedicated to bettering ourselves and the outcomes that we aim to achieve for the community.”
Ms Thomas said the community’s response to headspace Dubbo had been positive.
“We pride ourselves on the centre’s atmosphere to offer a soft entry approach for young people,” she said.
“We provide an environment where young people can walk through and meet the staff prior to making a referral, and in turn reducing the stigma of clinical services. We have received feedback from parents that the service provides a one-stop, friendly, nonthreatening environment that is enticing to young people seeking help.”
Ms Thomas said headspace also provided a range of mental health literacy to a wide group of schools and organisations to better inform young people and carers about how to seek help and support others, reaching schools at Dubbo, Wellington, Narromine, Dunedoo, Coolah, Tullamore and Trangie