Australian Bureau of Statistics
Celebrating the International Year of Statistics 2013

ABOUT THE SURVEY

The National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing (SMHWB) was conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) from August to December 2007. The survey collected information from approximately 8,800 Australians aged 16-85 years. The survey provides information on the prevalence of selected lifetime and 12-month mental disorders, by the major disorder groups:

• Anxiety disorders (eg Social Phobia);
• Affective disorders (eg Depression); and
• Substance Use disorders (eg Alcohol Harmful Use).

The survey also provides information on the level of impairment, health services used for mental health problems, physical conditions, social networks and caregiving, as well as demographic and socio-economic characteristics.

This is the second national mental health and wellbeing survey conducted by the ABS, with the previous survey conducted in 1997. Funding for this survey was provided by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing (DoHA). The survey is based on a widely-used international survey instrument and is therefore designed to provide data for international comparisons, rather than comparisons with the 1997 survey.

Detailed information on the survey development, concepts and methodology is provided in the Users' Guide.

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