Less Mental Health Awareness, More Action

The Black Dog Institute has urged employers to stop wasting time with frivolous mental health awareness campaigns and instead introduce proven programs to support their colleagues.

In its new white paper, the Black Dog Institute says more tangible support is needed for those who actually require mental health assistance, rather than simply urging everyone to seek help.

Black Dog Institute Chief Psychiatrist, Sam Harvey, said Australia doesn’t need any more mental health awareness campaigns because we do not have a mental health awareness problem.

“GP surgeries up and down the country are full of people asking for help with their mental health. At the Black Dog Institute, we have more than 10,000 people each month use our Online Clinic to take the first step toward getting help.”

“People know they need help with their mental health, they are just struggling to get the assistance they need within our under-funded mental health care system.”

Harvey says that workplaces should be offering something more practical, like a call to action or programs that teach people practical skills.

Harvey added that there is some evidence that mental health awareness programs can increase individual’s knowledge about mental health, but there is no convincing evidence that awareness campaigns change the things that really matter; help-seeking for mental health problems, suicidal behaviour, or reaching out to help others.

“Even more worrying, there is some evidence that mental health awareness campaigns might do harm. A series of studies conducted in Sheffield in the UK showed that when you give people more information about mental health problems they may be at risk of, you actually increased the frequency of those at-risk symptoms.”

“Well-meaning interventions can have harmful effects and it is possible that mental health awareness interventions may lead to reduced resilience and sensitisation to psychological hazards.”

“It’s great that so many workplaces want to do things to help support the mental health of their workers. Let’s make sure that we capture this momentum to make real changes to workplaces and help those that are asking for support.”

The Black Dog Institute is encouraging employers to implement its own workplace mental health toolkit – a practical guide that provides strategies and resources to support those who may be experiencing a mental health condition.