Updated Mental Health Literacy to Improve Public Health in Remote Australian Communities

A population approach to mental health and well-being requires that mental health be equally funded and resourced along with other health conditions. Poor mental health literacy does not enable preventable health strategies to be successfully delivered in struggling communities. Sub- optimal mental well-being in remote Queensland locations is delivering a public health crisis. The higher prevalence of suicidality in remote areas of Australia worsens the crisis-driven nature of accessing mental health services. While telehealth services help to bridge distance barriers, poor mental health literacy does not support preventative strategies for struggling communities. The perceived cause of mental health disorders continues to inform mental health literacy, associated with inter-generational stigma and increased suicidality. At its inception, stigma is rooted in history. A historical review was undertaken which applied an evidence-based lens to the available literature on mental health stigma and perceived causes of mental disorders. Reducing mental health stigma supports the reform of mental health services. Magnesium supplements may help reduce suicide. However, mental disorders begin with a lifestyle underpinned by food insecurity and restrictive eating, and worsened by social determinants of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. Food insecurity is a consequence of poor nutritional education, or sub-optimal access to food due to remoteness, lack of finances or disaster. Without sufficient nutrients, low brain energy metabolism damages tissues, producing symptoms of psychosis and mood changes. Adaptation to low energy metabolism results in a poor ability to cope with stress. Inadequately treated concussion, COVID-19 and viral infections impair energy metabolism, to indirectly progress brain damage. Community mental well-being is likely to improve with initiatives to secure the nutrients needed for a healthy brain and a sustainable future. Suggestions are to diversify the plant and seafood species people eat for cheaper food options, plant vegetable gardens on higher ground, and build climate-resistant houses with cyclone-protected emergency shelters, or gardens on rooftops.