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‘Mental As’ week coming to ABC

In October ABC will mark Mental Health Week with a week of themed programming and a live TV fundraiser.

2014-08-11_1742In October ABC will mark Mental Health Week with a week of themed programming.

Under the banner ‘Mental As’ week October  5-12 will include programming from comedy to documentary, entertainment to debate, that seek to join the dots on mental health in Australia.

It will culminate in a two-hour, live, TV fundraising event on Friday 10 October, The Friday Night Crack Up, featuring comedians, actors, sportspeople, musicians and politicians.

ABC Managing Director, Mark Scott said the ABC “has an important role in not only reporting national issues but also in leading discussion, debate and community awareness on the issues and challenges affecting Australians.

“Mental health is a significant matter affecting many Australians and the ABC would like to engage in a national discussion about this complex and wide reaching topic.”

The ABC is working with Patrick McGorry (2010 Australian of the Year for his services to youth mental health), in his role as President of the Society for Mental Health Research, the national peak body for psychiatric and mental health research in Australia and New Zealand. The goal is to help raise more than $1million for mental health research in Australia.

Professor McGorry said the economic costs of mental illness were huge at an estimated $29 billion annually.

“Sadly this is largely the cost of failure, failure to invest in 21st century care, which results in premature death, preventable disability and lost productivity,” he said.

“Too many people with mental ill health are consigned to the social and economic scrapheap. This can and must change.

“We are 20 years behind cancer, where sustained heavy investment in modern health care delivery and world class research are now reaping health benefits for Australians. People with mental ill health know that new and improved treatments are urgently needed.

“We need a national research effort to match cancer and cardiovascular disease. The funds raised through “Mental As” will be invested in mental health research, funding Australia’s next generation of emerging research leaders to seek breakthroughs, progress and cures.”

ABC board member and 2003 Australian of the Year Professor Fiona Stanley is also supporting the campaign.

“I applaud ‘Our ABC’ taking on mental health as a major national issue this year,” she said.

“We know that mental ill health is one of the major challenges facing our societies in the 21st Century. Using the wonderful resources of the ABC to raise awareness and money is fantastic.”

ABC Mental As will be supported by a number of high profile Australians including actress Deborah Mailman, Network Ten presenter Jessica Rowe, designer Alex Perry, advertising guru Todd Sampson, musician Missy Higgins, actor Shane Jacobsen and ABC presenters Jeremy Fernandez and Emma Alberici who will act as ambassadors to raise awareness of the initiative, and stimulate conversations.

High profile local artists including Ben Quilty, Richard Bell and Euan MacLeod have also thrown their support behind Mental As by offering artworks that explore the theme of mental illness for an online auction. Money raised at auction will go towards mental health fundraising efforts.

One Response

  1. This is an issue close to my heart as i have a number of family members with serious mental health issues & have had some struggles with depression myself, so this is really great idea. Its just a shame that there are such gaps in govt funding & cuts to health care that they even need to do things like this to raise money.

    As we have learned with the death of Robin Williams, mental health issues do not discriminate, even if your rich & famous. They not only effect the sufferer but leave a devastating legacy for the persons family & friends. We must do all we can to have enough services in place so people can reach out & get help.

    I look forward to the live fundraiser.

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