Throughout their response to the Productivity Commission's Inquiry into Mental Health, you will read the stories of members of the Youth Health Forum sharing their personal experiences with mental ill-health. Though their names have been changed for privacy, these are the real stories of real Australians whose lives are profoundly impacted by these lived experiences. This includes the struggles they have faced with the health sector and the failing safety net of social support. The Youth Health Forum believes in the importance of lived experience, in partnership with evidence based research, to inform and provide context for how mental health and mental health policy and governance impacts the lives of real Australians.

Based on the feedback and identification of priority areas by the Youth Health Forum, this submission will discuss, and make recommendations regarding Barriers to Access, Social Participation and Inclusion, and Service Reform within the context of the scope of the inquiry.