Findings of the Smiling Mind Report
The Smiling Mind is an evidence-based mindfulness meditation app which we at Northern Beaches Psychology & Assessment often recommend to clients. Developed by psychologists and educators, it is currently the No.1 health and wellbeing app in Australia. Smiling Mind is a not-for-profit organisation particularly targeted to youth mental health, but which also runs programs for adults and businesses.
The Smiling Mind team have recently released their annual State of Mind report on the mental health and wellbeing of Australians. We all know the past two years have been challenging and that we have lived in ways that we could not imagine just a short time ago, but perhaps we have not understood how profound the impact on our mental health has been. For example, in the 2019 report, 33% of respondents reported experiencing depression, but by the end of 2020 this had risen to 45%. Similarly, anxiety prevalence in 2019 was 48%, but this had increased to 57% by the end of last year, and stress has increased from 47% to 62%. Some groups have been particularly vulnerable to pandemic stress. Fifty six percent of women, 59% of culturally and linguistically diverse people, 71% of single parents, 76% of young people, 76% of the LGBTQI community and 79% of First Nations people experienced high to very high levels of psychological distress in 2020.
The news is not all bad. In 2020, respondents reported significantly higher levels of wellbeing. The Smiling Mind team describe wellbeing as a holistic measure of contentment incorporating low levels of psychological distress, positive mental and physical health, and other factors associated with a positive quality of life. Average wellbeing increased to 6.5 (out of 10) in 2021 from 6.2 in 2020. Wellbeing appears to improve over the lifespan with an average score of 7.5 for those aged 64+, versus 6.3 for those aged 18-25.
One of the explanations offered by the Smiling Mind for this increase has been greater awareness of the importance of looking after one’s mental health. This may have driven an uptake of tools, strategies and interventions to support mental wellbeing, reducing the risk that psychological distress will progress to more serious mental illness. Indeed 64% of Australians report taking active steps to support their mental health, although this remains significantly below the 89% of us who believe that mental health is as important as physical health.
So, what are these steps that people have been taking to build resilience? Forty-six percent of us reported that good quality sleep was the most important thing they could do to support positive mental health and cope with everyday life. Thirty eight percent of us thought that investing time in our relationships was important, and 37% reported that exercise was vital. Feelings of purpose (22%) were important, and a ‘sense of belonging’ was also central to wellbeing for 15% of us.
More good news lies in the fact that most Australians used at least one proactive strategy to address their mental health. The most common steps taken included seeing a mental health professional or general practitioner (34%), actively learning about mental health (28%) or speaking to friends or family who have some knowledge about mental health (23%). Others, though, have difficulty accessing mental health services because they find it hard to talk to friends and family about their mental health (47%) or they feel that the things that most affect their mental health are outside their control (31%). Cost can also be a barrier (41%).
What sort of picture do all these statistics paint? Clearly, we’re a people under pressure and the pandemic is a major source of that stress. Some groups in particular are struggling. Every cloud has a silver lining, though, and the pandemic has encouraged many of us to be actively involved in maintaining our mental health and wellbeing, and we often recognise steps we could take to look after ourselves. It remains, however, that it is difficult for many of us to access mental health services when needed.
We at Northern Beaches Psychology & Assessment know that it can be hard to reach out for help. At our service we’re always open to having a conversation with you to help you access mental health services, either though us, or other services available in the community. Sometimes it just takes a call to know that you’re welcomed, that you will be treated with kindness, compassion and understanding, and that help is available. We’re very open to contact with you if you or a loved one are struggling.
And, if you’re interested in the Smiling Mind report, it’s available here: https://info.smilingmind.com.au/hubfs/State%20of%20Mind/SOM2021_WhitePaper.pdf
Take care