A New Call Made Every Minute

Release date: 09 Oct 2009

Lifeline receives a new call to its 24 hour telephone crisis line every minute, 365 days a year.
Today is World Mental Health Day, and Lifeline is taking the opportunity to provide a snapshot of Australia’s mental health and emotional wellbeing.

“Lifeline collects de-identified data from calls, which enables us to have a good picture of the types of issues facing our community, often in regards to mental health and emotional wellbeing,” Dawn O’Neil, CEO of Lifeline Australia said today.

“People call Lifeline for a number of reasons. The top general issues raised in calls to Lifeline are social isolation and loneliness, family and personal relationships, health issues including mental health and trauma related matters including abuse, grief and loss.”

Almost 35% of calls to Lifeline are people who have a recognised or diagnosed mental health issue. Of these calls, 32% are from people who have revealed depression and 22% are from people who have revealed anxiety, phobias and panic attacks. 79 % of the calls are from people who have indicated they are experiencing multiple issues rather than just one.

“One of the most alarming statistics is that of the calls that involve mental health issues, as many as 69% are from people who are not utilising mental health treatment services,” Ms O’Neil said.

“One possible reason for this is that people with mental health may still be experiencing stigma, and may be putting off seeking help due to the way mental health issues are perceived by the community. Lifeline is dedicated to ensuring that these people at least have a service that is available 24-7, somewhere they can connect with someone who cares when they need it.”

Lifeline also takes between 30 and 50 calls a day related to suicide, and as many as four calls when a suicide attempt is in progress.

“Our data shows us that suicide is a significant issue for our country. Suicide is the leading cause of death for men and women between the ages of 15 and 34. The amount of calls we are getting that are suicide related is way too high. This is a whole of community health issue,” Ms O’Neil said.

“That’s why we are encouraging all Australians with an interest or experience related to suicide to provide a submission to the current Senate Inquiry into Suicide in Australia. Submissions are due by November 20.”

Other data of note includes; of calls to Lifeline, almost 60% are made by females, 30% are by males. The majority of our calls come from people aged between 25 and 64. 22% of calls are from people who have never been married and 35% from people who live alone.

For emotional crisis telephone support contact Lifeline 24 hours a day, seven days a week on 13 11 14 or visit their website for information and self help resources, or to make a donation, www.lifeline.org.au

For further information or comment contact:
Chris Wagner, Lifeline Australia, 02 6215 9446 or 0434 378 939

Media Contact: Chris Wagner (ph: 0434 378 939)