Breakdown: About a third (31.7%) of First Nations Peoples experience high to very high levels of psychological distress, indicative of a probable mental health condition, compared to one in eight non-Indigenous Australians (12.3%).
It found that, among Australians aged 16–85, 15% experienced high or very high levels of psychological distress. Females aged 16–34 were more likely to experience psychological distress than males of this age group (26% compared to 14%) (ABS 2022a).
Depression results from a complex interaction of social, psychological, and biological factors. People who have gone through adverse life events (unemployment, bereavement, traumatic events) are more likely to develop depression.
Overall, those aged 15–24 years had the highest proportion of mental or behavioural conditions (28%) while those aged 0–14 years had the lowest (13%).
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare reports higher rates of depression for females than males but, like for any health condition, how depression is defined and the accuracy of diagnoses affects our understanding of its prevalence.
Women are nearly twice as likely as men to be diagnosed with depression. Depression can occur at any age.
Depression affects 1 in 7 people in Australia and it is treatable.
Message: One in 16 Australians is currently experiencing depression. Breakdown: 6.2% of Australians aged 16 to 85 have experienced an affective disorder in the last 12 months.
Mental illness in Australia
One in five (20%) Australians aged 16-85 experience a mental illness in any year. The most common mental illnesses are depressive, anxiety and substance use disorder. These three types of mental illnesses often occur in combination.
Risk factors
Depression often begins in the teens, 20s or 30s, but it can happen at any age. More women than men are diagnosed with depression, but this may be due in part because women are more likely to seek treatment.
Smoking, obesity, eating an unhealthy diet, and a lack of physical activity are all behaviors that cause depression, according to results of one UCLA study. The risk of depression due to these risk factors varies with age.
It found that, among Australians aged 16–85, 15% experienced high or very high levels of psychological distress. Females aged 16–34 were more likely to experience psychological distress than males of this age group (26% compared to 14%) (ABS 2022a). Refer to the data visualisation for more detail.
Anxiety disorders was the most prevalent disorder group among females, and more common in the 12–17 years age group.
50% of mental health problems are established by age 14 and 75% by age 24. 10% of children and young people (aged 5-16 years) have a clinically diagnosable mental problem3, yet 70% of children and adolescents who experience mental health problems have not had appropriate interventions at a sufficiently early age.
Certain factors may increase your risk of developing a mental illness, including: A history of mental illness in a blood relative, such as a parent or sibling. Stressful life situations, such as financial problems, a loved one's death or a divorce. An ongoing (chronic) medical condition, such as diabetes.
Impacting an estimated 300 million people, depression is the most-common mental disorder and generally affects women more often than men.
By all accounts, serious mental illnesses include “schizophrenia-spectrum disorders,” “severe bipolar disorder,” and “severe major depression” as specifically and narrowly defined in DSM. People with those disorders comprise the bulk of those with serious mental illness.
Young and Midlife Adults
The average age of onset for major depressive disorder is between 35 and 40 years of age. Onset in early adulthood may be linked with more depressive episodes, a longer duration of illness, and therefore a more difficult clinical course.
In the second half of the 1920s the Australian economy suffered from falling wheat and wool prices, and competition from other commodity-producing countries. Australia was also borrowing vast sums of money, which dried up as the economy slowed. Then the Wall Street crash of 1929 led to a worldwide economic depression.
One of the most widely used tools in Australia for monitoring and assessing psychological distress is the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K-10).
The prevalence of adults with a major depressive episode is highest among individuals between 18 and 25. 11.3% of adults who report two or more races have experienced a major depressive episode in the past year. 8.7% of women have depression. 5.3% of men have depression.
We fund research into mental health, to help us develop effective policies and programs. This includes: Medical Research Future Fund's Million Minds Mental Health Research Mission – supports Australians who are experiencing mental ill-health to access new approaches to prevention, diagnosis, treatment and recovery.
One in five Australian adults experience a mental illness every year. About 45 per cent of Australian adults will be affected by mental illness at some time in their life. Anxiety, mood disorders (such as depression) and substance use disorders are the most common mental illnesses experienced by Australian adults.
Today, women are three times more likely than men to experience common mental health problems.