Registrations have opened for Mullets for Mental Health, a month long fundraising initiative run by the Black Dog Institute to raise awareness for mental health.
The campaign has called on Australians to support mental health awareness by growing and shaping a mullet during September to raise funds for mental health research.
The fundraiser has been running for three years after it successfully launched in 2020 and has already raised over $9.6 million.
Campaign Coordinator for Mullets for Mental Health Tom Farrar said the campaign was a fun way of raising awareness for mental health.
"Mullets for Mental Health is a fun and engaging way to ignite those important mental health conversations that we need to be having," he said.
"It's a way to show your fellow Aussies that you're all ears for mental health by raising funds to drive ground-breaking research into the early detection, prevention and treatment of common health disorders."
Research highlights need for mental health reform
The campaign initially launched during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic which saw an increase in Australians suffering from mental illness.
Research conducted by the Black Dog Institute found that almost 80 per cent of Australians claimed their mental health had worsened due to the pandemic with many continuing to experience ongoing mental health concerns.
The research also found that suicide was the leading cause of death among Australians aged 15 to 44.
Mental Health Australia CEO Dr Leanne Beagley said recent data has shown the urgent need for reform in the mental health sector.
"Incredible people and organisations have been working tirelessly to deliver effective mental health support and treatment," she said.
"Yet at a national level, the numbers of people experiencing mental ill-health doesn't seem to be improving."
According to data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) last month, 44 per cent of Australian adults have experienced a mental health condition at some point in their life, while 21 per cent experienced a mental health condition in any given year.
The data also revealed that of the 3.4 million Australians who saw a health professional for their mental health, nearly 30 per cent reported not having their need for counselling fully met.
"These results indicate that unfortunately the rates of mental ill-health have not seen enough change since the last survey undertaken in 2007," Dr Beagley said.
Dr Beagley called for the government to take a different approach in reforming the mental health sector.
"To reduce the experience of mental ill-health and lives lost to suicide, we need whole of government approaches to tackle the social determinants of health," Dr Beagley said.
"The Productivity Commission inquiry into Mental Health called for generational reform to create a person-centred mental health system," she said.
"While some of the wheels have been put in motion to bring about this change, the findings from this study [ABS] show just how much more work is required."
