The issue

Discrimination is causing a life-ending gap in the quality of health care for people living with mental health conditions. Every day in Australia, 46 people receiving mental healthcare die prematurely from preventable physical illnesses, an average 11 years less compared with the general population. This ongoing crisis violates Australia’s commitments under the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (UNCRPD) to provide equal access to health services without discrimination.

It’s time to stand

In May 2024, 250 consumers, carers, clinicians, researchers and mental health advocates gathered at RMIT in Melbourne for the Equally Well Forum: Embedding Lived-Experience.

As the alarming statistics presented in the Unequally Unwell Report that culminated two decades of research, the delegates resolved that advocacy was the missing element for achieving health equity for people with lived experience.

This Call to Action brings together the collective views of delegates voiced through the forum workshops, panels and presentations with clear actions we can all take that will save lives.

Join in our collective movement for change and share your story

We want to raise the voice of those who are living with the outcomes of this health inequity to help draw attention to the need for change. If you or someone you care for is living with mental illness which has impacted their physical health we would love to hear from you. You may share your story using any of the following formats:

Written story (up to 300 words)
Short video (up to 1.5 minutes)
Short audio recording (up to 1.5 minutes)
An interview with Equally Well to record my story (video, audio or written).