Australian Young People's Awareness of Headspace, Beyondblue and other Mental Health Organizations

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this paper is to assess young people's awareness of mental health organizations supporting their age group. Of particular interest was awareness of headspace, which was created in 2006 to provide youth-oriented mental health services, and of beyondblue, which aims to raise community awareness of depression, anxiety and related disorders. Method: A telephone survey was carried out on a national sample of young people who were part of a 2-year follow-up study of youth mental health literacy. Data were analysed for those aged 13-25 years. Results: Awareness was highest for beyondblue and telephone helplines; headspace had established some awareness, particularly in areas where its services operate. However, awareness was unrelated to the participant's psychological symptoms in the past year. Conclusions: If youth-oriented services are to be successful, young people need to know about them. Awareness campaigns need to be targeted at the sub-group who have greatest need for these services, namely those with mental health problems.