DEMAND FOR HELP GROWS

MENTAL health professionals are in growing demand as social stigmas disappear and more Australians feel comfortable asking for help.

An extra 11,300 psychologists and 4600 counsellors are expected to be needed between 2018 and 2023, Jobs department data shows.

Workforces for these occupations are forecast to increase by 30.2 per cent and 17.8 per cent in the coming five years, respectively.

Meanwhile, the number of registered nurses who specialise in mental health care also is increasing, with the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare revealing there were about 18,400 such nurses in 2016, up from 12,000 in 2007.

Southern Cross University healthcare courses coordinator Professor John Hurley says historically it has not been a popular career choice because mental health issues were stigmatised.

“Now mental health problems are widely acknowledged so careers in mental health are becoming increasingly popular,” he says.

“Yet there’s still a shortage of skilled mental health professionals to meet the growing demand.”

Australian College of Mental Health Nurses chief executive Adjunct Associate Professor Kim Ryan says mental health and support for self-management are among the biggest future growth areas in health.

“With our ageing population, the most obvious growth area is the health and mental health of older Australians,” she says.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare reports one in four Australians had a “common diagnosable” mental health disorder in 2015.

Its figures show 2.4 million Australians (9.8 per cent) accessed Medicare-subsidised services specific to mental health in 2016-17, yet the real level of need is expected to be greater as the National Mental Health Commission reports less than half of people with mental health disorders actually seek help.