50% of mental health problems are established by age 14 and 75% by age 24. 10% of children and young people (aged 5 to 16 years) have a clinically diagnosable mental problem3, yet 0% of children and adolescents who experience mental health problems have not had appropriate interventions at a sufficiently early age.
50% of all lifetime mental illness begins by age 14, and 75% by age 24.
Half of all mental health disorders show first signs before a person turns 14-years-old, and three-quarters of mental health disorders begin before age 24. Unfortunately, only half of children and adolescents with diagnosable mental health conditions receive the treatment they need.
Age group: Young adults ages 18 to 25 in the U.S have the highest rate of experiencing mental health conditions (30.6%), followed by those ages 26 to 49 (25.3%) and adults ages 50 and over (14.5%).
A large-scale study investigates at what age different mental illnesses tend to start. Across all mental disorders, the average age of onset was 14.5 years. This shows that mental disorders start early, and early intervention can be helpful.
The most common mental illnesses in Australia are Anxiety Disorders, Affective Disorders (such as Depression) and Substance use disorders (ABS 2022a).
They are under increased pressure to succeed academically, financially, and socially. Some move back home after college, while others move away from families and support systems to begin new jobs. All of this change, while exciting, is definitely stressful. Given the right conditions, stress can trigger mental illness.
20% or 4.8 million Australians had a mental or behavioural condition, an increase from 18% in 2014-15. 13% or 3.2 million Australians had an anxiety-related condition, an increase from 11% in 2014-15. 10% had depression or feelings of depression, an increase from 9% in 2014-15.
The most common are anxiety disorders major depression and bipolar disorder. Below is more information on these disorders and how ACCESS can help.
Countries with the least depression include several smaller, lower-income countries in South Asia such as Brunei, Myanmar, Timor-Leste and Mali, where less than 2.5% of the population is reported to have a depressive disorder.
Research conducted and funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has found that many mental disorders are caused by a combination of biological, environmental, psychological, and genetic factors.
In most people with schizophrenia, symptoms generally start in the mid- to late 20s, though it can start later, up to the mid-30s. Schizophrenia is considered early onset when it starts before the age of 18. Onset of schizophrenia in children younger than age 13 is extremely rare.
Clinical depression, or major depressive disorder, is often just called “depression.” It's the most severe type of depression. Without treatment, depression can get worse and last longer. In severe cases, it can lead to self-harm or death by suicide.
Borderline personality disorder is one of the most painful mental illnesses since individuals struggling with this disorder are constantly trying to cope with volatile and overwhelming emotions.
Anxiety disorder is the most treatable of all mental illnesses. Anxiety disorder produces unrealistic fears, excessive worry, flashbacks from past trauma leading to easy startling, changes in sleep patterns, intense tension and ritualistic behavior.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), roughly 1 in every 5 Americans is currently living with a mental illness. Of those, the three most common diagnoses are anxiety disorders, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Interestingly, the number of mental health issues does differ from state to state. For example, Tasmania sees the highest rate of anxiety and depression -- at 21.6% and 18.1% affected respectively, while Queenslanders show the highest stress levels, with 27.5% reporting that they're regularly affected by stress.
Each year, about 1 in every 5 Australians will experience a mental illness. Almost half the population has experienced a mental health disorder at some time in their life.
In their lifetimes, about one in five Australians will experience depression. Around the world, depression affects around 300 million people. Depression is the most commonly experienced mental health challenge for young people aged between 12-25 years old.
It's hard to predict what your experience with mental illness will be. But if your symptoms are severe, or if you've experienced multiple types of mental illness, it's not likely to go away on its own—and if it does, it will likely come back.
Getting its name from J.M. Barrie's classic novel, “Peter and Wendy,” Peter Pan syndrome refers to those who seem to never grow up or mature from childhood. The term serves as a metaphor to describe patterns of behavior that show a refusal to accept adult responsibilities.
In 2022, a study conducted by Mental Health Research Canada (pdf) found that 17% of those aged 20-29 reported feelings of depression.