Tues 11 March 2014 - ABC NEWS
A new report is calling for a major re-think of Australia's mental health system, which it says is not meeting demand.
The Crossroads report was prepared by Ernst and Young and the ReachOut online youth mental health service for the Inspire Foundation.
It found nearly one in two adult Australians have experienced mental illness, but less than half have received the help they need.
It says meeting demand under the current system would cost $9 billion and 8,800 more trained professionals over 15 years.
But ReachOut's chief executive Jonathan Nicholas says in a fiscally-restrained environment, governments need to look to alternative approaches.
He says they should consider an approach that emphasises self-help and focuses on the young.
He acknowledges that some people are best treated in a clinical setting, but says a "lot of people can actually help themselves".
Read the full article on ABC News
Watch the video of Reachout.com CEO Jonathan Nicholas speaking to ABC News Breakfast
