STEPHEN CENATIEMPO:
Today marks two years since the first case of COVID-19 was detected in Australia. Now, of course, the pandemic, as I've been saying - the shadow pandemic, should I say - has been the significant mental toll that it's taken on all Australians over the last two years, and I don't know that there's any real reprieve yet. Some parts of Australia still effectively shut off from the rest of the country as well, and you can imagine what that's- what effect that's having on people. Dr Ruth Vine is Deputy Chief Medical Officer for Mental Health, and joins us now. Dr Vine, good morning.
RUTH VINE:
Good morning, Stephen.
STEPHEN CENATIEMPO:
That mental- that shadow pandemic is obviously going to be the ongoing problem. I mean, once the pandemic proper- we're now talking about we've hit the peak of Omicron and we can see the end- the light at the end of the tunnel. But this is going to be an ongoing problem, trying to get people back to peak mental health over the next, what I imagine is going to be a number of years.
RUTH VINE:
Yes, look, I think- look, of course, this is evolving, and much is unknown. I think you're quite right that for many people the impact may well have long-lasting impact. But I also would highlight, I think, people's resilience and people's ability to sort of get their life back on train.
We're certainly seeing at the moment less demand on some of our help lines than we were back in 2020, but it is still higher than it was in 2019, and we're still certainly seeing heavy demand on mental health services, and high numbers of people presenting in psychological distress or with an exacerbation of mental illness to emergency departments. So I think there will be an impact.
Look, I have to say, here we are at- nearly at the end of January and we're facing the beginning of the school year, and I really- you know, I remain very hopeful that classrooms will commence again. I think it's- I think one of the things that is increasingly recognised around the globe is just how important it is to get that degree of normality back into young people's lives, that sort of social engagement and social learning, and the exposure to all the things that happen in schools and school environments. So that is an important one.
It is also a bit more difficult because we're seeing different states do slightly different things, or we know that if an individual is sick they may need to stay home and isolate for a while, so that sort of- there's a degree of uncertainty, I think, for individual families and for parents which is making this time particularly difficult and, as you said, anxiety-provoking. So it remains so important for people to look after themselves in the way that they've been doing over the past two years. You know, be kind to yourself, be kind to others. When you recognise that you're irritable and impatient and, you know, feeling over at all, give yourself some time and space and those basics, you know, the basics like in routine and doing some things that enjoy- you enjoy, sharing enjoyment with others in your family, making sure you get good sleep, good exercise, and that you know where to reach out for help.
STEPHEN CENATIEMPO:
For obvious reasons, government has been focusing on the pandemic itself. And rightly or wrongly, there's been critics of the government response. And some people think, you know, that aside, have we done enough to address this mental health issue?
RUTH VINE:
Look, the first thing I'd say is that I think all governments did increase their investment in mental health services. And certainly nationally, there was increased capability and an increase range of services offering. So there's no doubt that governments and agencies recognised the difficulties that people have experienced. I think what we have to see, of course, is that sustained, because while vaccinations are now well and truly up there and young people are also now getting vaccinated at pretty significant rates, that's great. But the longer-term impact of some of the financial and social and economic impacts of COVID, I think, are still evolving. So that- if it needs to be sustained, and that- and there is significant investment and reform continuing in the area of mental health.
STEPHEN CENATIEMPO:
Dr Vine, we spoke to a Yvette Berry, the Minister for Education here in the ACT, earlier this morning. Kids are finally going back to school. Face-to-face learning is going back to normal. Can we quantify how important that is when it comes to mental health and resilience, and particularly the next generations?
RUTH VINE:
To quantify it, I think, is difficult. And I think we do have to recognise that there will be- some people will be itching to get back to school, and some people will be quite frightened about getting back to school. And the same applies to their parents. So I think we need to recognise that different people have different reactions to this. But overall, I think nationally and internationally, there is an absolute recognition that school is a very important part of our young lives, and very important part of our family lives. And so while I can't quantify it for you, I can only stress that I think it's great that we're all pushing to get back to school and to balance the other risks. And the last two years have often been balancing one negative impact against another potential negative impact, and, you know, trying to make sure we're going forward in a way that takes note of all of those issues and difficult complexities. So now, as you said, maybe we're over the next or- you know, over the next- the latest hump and plateauing, or coming back down. And that means getting back to school is even more important, because the risk of that is less than the risk of not going back to school.
STEPHEN CENATIEMPO:
Dr Ruth Vine, I appreciate your time this morning.
RUTH VINE:
Thank you very much, Stephen.
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