A social enterprise providing education and information to protect and enhance the mental health of young people
Claire Hooker, University of Sydney It could be a brother or sister. It could be a neighbour. It could be a person you work with. We probably all know someone who doesn’t wear a mask in public even though it’s compulsory or recommended where you live. The media is quick to highlight people who think [...]
Ian Hickie, University of Sydney As Victorians face yet another long period of enforced lockdown, serious concerns are being raised about people’s capacity to comply with the new orders and the mental health impacts of such prolonged social isolation. The risks of being dispirited, chronically stressed and socially disconnected are real and substantial. While the [...]
Louise Stone, Australian National University Last week, the Australian government announced it will provide ten extra Medicare-subsidised psychological therapy sessions for Australians in lockdown areas due to COVID-19. In such a stressful time, many people are experiencing poorer mental health, and some need additional support. However, our mental health system is complex and fragmented, so [...]
Vasso Apostolopoulos, Victoria University; Maja Husaric, Victoria University, and Maximilian de Courten, Victoria University During the COVID-19 pandemic we’re constantly being reminded to practise good hygiene by frequently washing our hands and regularly cleaning the spaces where we live and work. These practices aim to remove or kill the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, and thereby [...]
Thea van de Mortel, Griffith University Although some positive signs suggest Victoria’s second wave may be slowing, we continue to see large numbers of COVID-19 cases recorded every day. Most people who test positive for COVID-19 won’t need hospital care and will self-isolate at home. But is it then inevitable the rest of the household [...]
Luke Zaphir, The University of Queensland It’s after work and you’ve gone to the supermarket to grab some ingredients for dinner. You’re tired, anxious and pretty hungry. Plus you have to put on a mask because a thousand other people are there, and social distancing is hard to enforce at this moment. Now you’re uncomfortable, [...]
Phyllis Sharps, Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing and Lucine Francis, Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing The first U.S. schools have reopened with in-person classes, and they are already setting off alarm bells about how quickly the coronavirus can spread. Georgia’s Cherokee County School District, north of Atlanta, had over 100 confirmed COVID-19 cases [...]
Sally Larsen, University of New England and Callie Little, University of New England Whether to hold a child back from starting school when they are first eligible is a question faced by many parents in Australia each year. If you start a child at school too early, there’s a fear they may fall behind. But [...]
Helen Dickinson, UNSW and Anne Kavanagh, University of Melbourne In Victoria there are nearly 80 active COVID-19 cases linked to more than 50 disability accommodation sites. At least two people have died. These don’t sound like big numbers in the context of Victoria’s second wave, and particularly when we compare it to the COVID-19 crisis [...]
Kathryn Abel, University of Manchester and Matthias Pierce, University of Manchester Public health responses to the pandemic have focused on preventing the spread of the virus, limiting the number of deaths and easing the burden on healthcare systems. But there’s also potentially another, less visible epidemic we should be focusing on: mental illness. Our recent [...]
