Lockdown triggers surge in demand for mental health support

Victoria’s latest lockdown is having a shattering impact on the mental health of thousands of Victorians.

The snap five-day lockdown announced by Premier Daniel Andrews on Friday led to a surge in requests for mental health support, with Lifeline on Saturday receiving its third-highest number of calls in the nearly 60 years it has been operating.

Lifeline received 3306 calls for support following the Premier’s announcement.

It’s a sobering statistic considering that for every person who does seek support, there are many more who go it alone and do not reach out for help.

Lockdowns cause enormous emotional and financial trauma as people struggle to cope with the sudden loss of work and social interaction and try to manage the additional challenges of running a business or home schooling.

But while the Andrews Labor Government forces Victorians to bear the burden of daily uncertainty, the NSW Government has reinforced to its citizens it will “avoid lockdown at all costs”.

Victorians need answers. We need a proportionate response to outbreaks that balances the economy with mental wellbeing.

“It’s heartbreaking for Victorians to be back here again after the Labor Government promised it had learned from its mistakes.”

“The pain of last year is fresh in the minds of so many people who still carry the mental and financial scars of 2020.

“To be suddenly forced into lockdown again because the Andrews Labor Government has failed to fix hotel quarantine and contact tracing is a devastating blow that only adds to the challenges many are already facing.

“We deserve answers. We deserve the truth. But even today Daniel Andrews still refuses to release the public health advice to justify the five-day lockdown.

“Victorians deserve to know why our mental health still isn’t a priority for the Andrews Labor Government.”

Shadow Minister for Mental Health Emma Kealy