The State of Mental Health in The Australian Church Community

Facebook Blurb: There’s a growing need for our church leaders to be adequately equipped to provide others with emotional and mental health support.

The National Church Life Survey shows how numbers are rapidly increasing in the Australian community of people who are experiencing mental health or behavioural issues. There’s a growing need for our church leaders to be adequately equipped to provide others with emotional and mental health support.

According to the Church Life Survey

The figures below show statistics are on the rise in Australia.

• The Church Life Survey report shows Australians most commonly experience depression, bipolar and anxiety disorder.
• Statistics show 1 in 5 Australians experience a mental or behavioural condition. That’s 4 million people! These statistics have also increased by 1 million persons in Australia from 2013-2016
• According to the survey 1 in 4 Australian teenagers report, they have engaged in self-harm.
• In Australia, a staggering 20% of girls aged 16-17 meet the criteria for clinical depression.
• The top 3 pastoral needs in the church identified by leaders are faith issues 57%, mental health 52% and physical health 50%.
• The issues of greatest concerns to young Australians are stress and anxiety, school and study, body image and depression.
• The top 3 fastest growing needs in the community are mental health 66%, substance addiction 59% and mental health 52%.
• Churches feel inadequately equipped for pastoral care and counselling.
• The top 3 issues leaders report being less equipped and trained to effectively respond to are: sexual identity, substance addiction and mental health.

Did you know that 53% of pastoral teams identified that it would be beneficial to be equipped through formal counselling training?

See the (full) State of Mental Health infographic and register to download the full report: https://www.aifc.com.au/equipped/

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Sandra Ciminelli
Cred. Dip. Couns. (Christian)