Youth Reach Out for Mental Health Help Online

Young people in distress are more likely to look for mental health help online rather than seek help from a professional, a study has found.

A national survey conducted by youth mental health organisation Inspire Foundation, questioned more than 3000 people under 25 years of age.

It found 75 per cent of participants were experiencing high to very high levels of psychological distress when they visited Inspire’s website, ReachOut.com, yet 60 per cent of them had never accessed professional help.

Inspire Foundation CEO Jonathan Nicholas said it was important for young people to have an anonymous, non-confronting place they could trust at any time and the internet provided this.

"Young people sometimes may not recognise that they need help,” he said.

“Asking for help may feel uncomfortable, or they may not know where to find help or what to expect from the range of services that are out there."

Despite the site being the first port call for the majority of youth, the survey revealed 41 per cent were more likely to seek professional help after visiting the site.

The Foundation says the website is particularly popular with young people identifying as lesbian, gay, bi-sexual or transgender which made up almost one quarter of ReachOut.com’s users.

To get a copy of the full report visit:

http://inspire.org.au/young-people-go-online-for-help-during-tough-times/