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A Study Conducted By Anthony Venning And Associates

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In Australia, 1 in 16 young people between the ages of 16 and 25 are currently experiencing depression and 1 in 6 are currently experiencing an anxiety condition. Including less prevalent conditions such as substance use disorders, 1 in 4 young people are estimated to be suffering from a mental health condition across the country (Youthbeyondblue.com, 2015). A study conducted by Anthony Venning and associates suggested that an alarmingly small proportion of young Australians were ‘flourishing’ in life and that poorer states of mental health were associated with risk taking behaviour, varying by gender and age (Venning, Wilson, Kettler & Eliott, 2012). Furthermore, suicide has been recorded as the leading underlying cause of death in…show more content…
As discussed above, a high level of youth population suffer from mental health issues, however only some receive help. Rates of help seeking in youths who self-harm have been found to be exceptionally low in spite of high levels of suicidal thoughts (Martin, G., Swannell, S., Harrison, J., Hazell, P., & Taylor, A., 2010). Only a quarter of mentally ill youths have received help for their condition and only 50% of those with the most serious mental health problems have received professional help (Sawyer et al., 2000). Certain groups such as Indigenous Australians (Williamson, A.B et al., 2010) and those living in rural areas (Beer, A. and Keane, R., 2000) are less likely to partake in help-seeking behaviour in spite of having the highest levels of mental health problems. Previous research in this area suggests that youths with probable mental illness were more unlikely to feel comfortable seeking help from people they knew than healthy individuals. More strikingly, however were the results that over 60% of young people with probable mental illness were felt uneasy with the idea of seeking professional help in the form of online help, hotlines or community-based aid (Ivancic. L., et al., 2014). There is sufficient evidence to suggest that differences in gender and ethnic background may predict ones attitude towards receiving professional psychological help. Various studies (Fischer & Turner, 1970; Addis & Mahalik, 2003; Leong & Zachar, 1999) have supported the idea
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