New mental health services for Tasmanians

Tasmanians with or at risk of mild mental illness have access to new support services. Two organisations have been funded to support adults across Tasmania with conditions including anxiety, stress and mood disorders.

A third organisation will raise awareness among mental health service providers of digital mental health support options for Tasmanians. They have been commissioned by Primary Health Tasmania with funding from the Australian Government under the Primary Health Networks Program.

Aitor Baonza, a manager with Primary Health Tasmania, said at any one time, approximately 912% of adult Australian have a mild mental illness.

For Tasmania, this equates to 59,442 adults living with a mild mental illness. “The newly commissioned services will help people self-manage their mental health and wellbeing, improve their chance of recovery, and help prevent escalation of their illness,” he said.

The commissioned organisations are: • Wellways Australia will deliver the Optimal Health Program across Tasmania for individuals and groups. Participants will also have access to the Wellways Helpline, a telephone support service delivered by Wellways volunteers on week days from 9am to 9pm. • Mindfulness Programs Australasia will deliver Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) group sessions to communities around the state. The MBSR program will be delivered in a range of ways including face-toface sessions, short community workshops, and telephone and internet sessions. • Outcome Health will deliver a one-off capacity-building activity to raise awareness among general practices and other mental health service providers of digital mental health services and applications available to their patients.

“The programs delivered by both Wellways and Mindfulness Programs Australasia involve evidence-based interventions for people experiencing stress, anxiety, and depression, which have high prevalence rates in Tasmanian community,” Mr Baonza said. “They are known as low intensity mental health services, which are the first step in a ‘stepped model of care’ focussing on early intervention, skill development, and preventing escalation in the mental health system.”

Almost $800,000 in Australian Government funding has been provided for these services to 30 June 2018. They are part of a broader suite of mental health services being funded by the Australian Government through Primary Health Tasmania, which also include services for: • people with mild to moderate mental illness • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples with mental illness • people with severe and complex mental illness • suicide prevention.

More information is available online at www.primaryhealthtas.com.au/programsservices/mental-health
Jenny Denholm – Manager, Communications and Marketing