Beyond Blue has released a CSIRO-developed report examining how technology, social connection and access to support could shape mental healthcare in Australia over the next decade.
The Future We Choose: Mental health support in Australia through the next decade of change was commissioned by Beyond Blue and developed using CSIRO’s strategic foresight methodology.
The report identifies technology and the strength of relationships and support systems as two major uncertainties that could influence the future of mental health.
It presents four possible future scenarios and identifies five shifts focused on prevention, community connection, trusted technology, easier navigation and earlier support.
Beyond Blue said demand for mental health support was continuing to outpace supply, with workforce shortages, cost and difficulties accessing services among the existing pressures on the system.
Rapid technological, social, economic and environmental changes were also affecting how people experienced mental ill health, sought help and accessed information.
Beyond Blue CEO Georgie Harman said the report highlighted the potential impact of technology on how mental health support develops.
“The Future We Choose highlights two uncertainties that will influence how mental health evolves in the next decade: whether technology becomes a trusted enabler of mental health and whether the relationships and support systems we rely on grow stronger or come under greater strain,” Ms Harman said.
“By exploring these possibilities, the report reinforces the system changes needed to move towards a future where trusted technology, strong communities and accessible support work together to improve mental health and wellbeing.”
The report used horizon scanning, stakeholder consultations and scenario planning to examine possible futures.
It suggests Australia is currently heading towards a scenario in which demand for mental health support continues to grow, services are stretched and trust and social connection become more difficult to maintain.
However, the authors said that trajectory was not fixed and would depend on decisions made in coming years.
Lead author and CSIRO Senior Research Scientist Dr Alexandra Bratanova said the work was intended to help organisations prepare for different possibilities rather than predict a single outcome.
“Strategic foresight isn’t about forecasting exactly what will happen next. It’s about exploring plausible futures, challenging assumptions and helping organisations and leaders make better decisions today,” Dr Bratanova said.
“The report identifies a range of social, technological, economic, environmental and geopolitical forces that are already shaping mental health and wellbeing to better understand the risks, opportunities and choices that could influence Australia’s mental health future.”
Beyond Blue Chair Linda Dessau said the report marked a new discussion about how Australia’s mental health system should develop.
“For 25 years, Beyond Blue has helped lead national conversations about mental health; improving literacy, reducing stigma, providing novel service options, and encouraging earlier support seeking,” Ms Dessau said.
“Just as Beyond Blue helped change the conversation about mental health when it was founded, this report signals a new conversation about the future we want to create and the choices that will help us get there.”
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