Medibank to partner with beyondblue on new mental health initiatives

To mark the beginning of Mental Health Week, Medibank is proud to announce a three-year partnership to support the invaluable work of beyondblue.

The $300,000 contribution from Medibank will help fund beyondblue’s new suicide prevention initiatives, including research, development and online training for its BeyondNow app – a safety planning tool to help health professionals in decreasing the risk of suicide in their patients.

beyondblue CEO Georgie Harman welcomed Medibank’s commitment to raising awareness of the benefits of good mental health: “At beyondblue, our goal is to help every person in Australia achieve their best possible mental health and this partnership is designed to help us achieve this goal.

“There are three million people in Australia living with depression or anxiety and we know that with early intervention and the right advice, recovery is possible,” Ms Harman said.

Medibank Group Executive Healthcare & Strategy Dr Andrew Wilson, a psychiatrist, said: “At Medibank, we’re focused on improving the physical and mental health of all Australians. Recognising if you’re struggling mentally is the first step to getting support and feeling better. That’s why we have teamed up with beyondblue.

“I’ve seen first-hand the debilitating effect of prolonged anxiety and depression. beyondblue has for many years worked incredibly hard to challenge the stigma that prevents people from speaking up and getting support,” Dr Wilson said.

Now more than ever, the internet and social media are the first places to seek support and find reliable information about anxiety and depression. Medibank and beyondblue will today launch a new joint mental health portal on Medibank’s ‘Live Better’ website and social media channels. It will contain tools to help people and their loved ones identify and get support for mental health issues. It will feature interactive content, including videos and checklists with advice from beyondblue and Medibank mental health experts.

The portal launch coincides with beyondblue’s national anxiety campaign, called ‘Know When Anxiety’s Talking’, which aims to help people recognise the signs of anxiety.

beyondblue is a not-for-profit organisation, providing people in Australia with the knowledge and skills to protect their own mental health, and the confidence to encourage those around them to seek professional support. beyondblue has programs in schools and workplaces – working to break down the barriers surrounding anxiety, depression and suicide prevention. beyondblue’s 24/7 Support Service is staffed by 50 mental health professionals, offering brief counselling via the telephone, email and web-chat.

Mental health is consistently in the top five most common claims for Medibank customers from their 20s to 50s. Data from the Medibank Better Health Index found a rise in mental health issues since 2011, with one in three people in Australia now affected by either anxiety, depression or stress.