Mental Health Issues in Australia - Prevalence, Impact and Common Disorders

Mental Health Issues in Australia
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Prevalence of Mental Issues In
Australia
 Several studies have been done on mental
health in Australia (Harvey et al., 2017; Shen et al.,
2018).
 Research shows Australia is at the apex of an
outbreak of mental illness (Harvey et al., 2017).
 The use of antidepressants in Australia has
doubled (Olfson& Marcus, 2009).
 Statistics show that mental health problems are
on the rise in Australia.

Prevalence of Mental Issues In
Australia...
 Approximately 4 million people had
experienced mental disorders in 2015
 1 in 5 (20%) (16-85yrs) persons had
experienced prevalent mental disorders
– Equivalent to 3.8 million people in est.2016
population.
 1 in 7 (13.9%) children and teenagers (4-17yrs)
had mental health disorders
– Equivalent to 886,000 in est.2016 population
(AIHW, 2018)

Common Mental Disorders: Adult
Population (16-85 yrs)
 Anxiety Disorders: Social Phobia
– Affected 14.4% of all aged16-85
– Women most affected (18%) than men (11%)
– Women aged 16-54 most affected (21%) compared
to women(6.3%) of 65-85yrs
 Affective Disorders: Depression
– Affected 6.2% of all aged 16-85
– Women most affected (7.1%) than men (3.3%)
– Women aged 16-44 (7.6%) was higher compared to
women (3.3%) aged 55-85 (AIHW, 2018)