Southern Health is experiencing a significant increase of people accessing their mental health services and some are saying it’s actually a good thing.

Dana Human is the Regional Director of Mental Health. She believes this uptake is not exclusively because of COVID-19 and has a lot to do with a general decrease in the negativity around the topic.

“In my complete assessment of this, I would say the stigma is being crushed and people with mental health issues are reaching out for more support. Everybody is pinpointing this on Covid, but I think it’s just a sign of the times.”

Human acknowledges that there are certain people who are experiencing heightened levels of tension, depression, or stress because of the virus, but feels the statistics are, at times, being misrepresented or at least misunderstood. She senses that much of the increase is not because of the virus itself but because of the special phone lines, virtual services, and other social infrastructure that has been created as a result.

“I have found, with Covid, one major positive is that all of us have been extremely creative at how we continuously reach out to those who require support,” she remarks. “By creating better accessibility for people, we are increasing our stats ourselves because we are that much more accessible.”

In terms of both government investments and presence in the public eye, COVID-19 has given the mental health movement a unique momentum. Human hopes that momentum will continue long after the virus subsides as it means more people than ever before are able to acquire the support they need.

"That being said, when Covid is done, there is nothing better than face-to-face consultations between our mental health clinicians and our clients, we never ever want to push that aside.”