Tasmania should be a trial site for a fully integrated, community-based mental health care system, a state peak body believes.
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The Mental Health Council of Tasmania said the system would introduce population mental health screening measures in an effort to increase preventive and early interventionist care programs and services as well as set up referral pathways for suicide prevention services.
The latter would target people at high risk of suicide who were discharged from hospital care and people who presented before emergency departments, general practitioners and health care professionals with risk factors.
The organisation said the holistic care system would rely on support from the state and federal governments to work collaboratively on its delivery.
MHCT has made the recommendation to the Productivity Commission which is looking at social and economic improvements that could be made to boost mental health.
The organisation has also recommended that mental health care training be given to all clinical staff who interact with, or care for, people with risk factors for mental illness, suicide or self-harm.
Mental Health Carers Tasmania chief executive Maxine Griffiths drew attention towards the work of informal mental health carers in the state.
She said not all mental health carers accessed support services as they did not identify themselves as carers because they were doing what they thought was required of family members.
This thinking has meant these carers experienced as loss of income as a result and loss of work skills due to disengagement from the workforce, Ms Griffiths said.
She said children in a caring role were particularly vulnerable in being overlooked by support services.
"Their needs are considerable with the caring role having a significant impact on their school and social lives," Ms Griffiths said.
She said a national report on informal mental health carers found 240,000 Australians cared for an adult with mental illness.
Ms Griffiths said the annual replacement cost for all informal carers would be $13.2 million after Centrelink payments for care arrangements were removed.
- If you or someone you know is in need of assistance, call Lifeline Australia on 131114.