Home HEALTH Majority of Australian children with mental health problems not getting help, new report – 7NEWS

Majority of Australian children with mental health problems not getting help, new report – 7NEWS

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Majority of Australian children with mental health problems not getting help, new report – 7NEWS

A new study has found that the majority of Australian children with mental health disorders aren’t getting the care they need.

The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children looked at the mental health of 4,983 children using Medicare-linked data.

Watch the full story in the clip above.

Less than one in four children with mental health problems saw a doctor in the 18 months after being diagnosed.

It also found young girls are less likely to receive help, with only 30 per cent of those in trouble seeking treatment.

The statistics are even worse for kids from a non-English speaking background, with 14 per cent suffering emotional problems but only 2 per cent receiving care.

Professor Harriet Hiscock from Murdoch Children’s Research Institute told Sunrise she was ‘saddened’ by the lack of help young people are getting, and says parents are partly to blame.

“There’s a lack of publicly funded services for under 12-year-olds, and many parents can’t afford out-of-pocket costs,” she said.

“There is also a tendency for parents to not pick up on early signs of mental health problems in their children or to think they’ll grow out of, so they don’t seek help.”

Professor Hiscock says there are some easy ways to identify if your child is struggling and may need assistance.

“Look out for persistent problems. So, if your child is having constant headaches with no medical cause, not wanting to go to school or losing interest in things they used to love doing.”

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