Mental and behavioural conditions result from a complex interplay of biological, social, psychological, environmental and economic factors, and can significantly affect how a person feels, thinks, behaves and interacts with other people[1].
Key findings
- In 2017-18, one in five (20.1%) or 4.8 million Australians had a mental or behavioural condition, an increase from 4.0 million Australians (17.5%) in 2014-15.
- In 2017-18, 3.2 million Australians (13.1%) had an anxiety-related condition, an increase from 11.2% in 2014-15.
- One in ten people (10.4%) had depression or feelings of depression, an increase from 8.9% in 2014-15.
Definitions
In 2017-18, one in five (20.1%) or 4.8 million Australians had a mental or behavioural condition, an increase from around 4.0 million Australians (17.5%) in 2014-15. This increase was predominantly due to an increase in the number of people reporting anxiety-related conditions and depression or feelings of depression.
Overall, mental and behavioural conditions were more common amongst females than males (22.3% compared with 17.9% respectively).
Unlike many other conditions, the proportion of people with a mental or behavioural condition did not increase with age. Almost one in three (30.0%) females aged 15-24 years had a mental or behavioural condition and just over one in five (21.3%) males of the same age.
In 2017-18, around three in five people aged 15-64 years with a mental or behavioural condition were employed, compared with around four in five people of the same age without a mental or behavioural condition (62.1% compared with 79.5% respectively). Also, people aged 15-64 years with a mental or behavioural condition were more likely to be unemployed than people without a mental or behavioural condition (5.6% compared with 3.5% respectively). Almost one in three (32.2%) people aged 15-64 years with a mental or behavioural condition were not in the labour force, almost double the rate of those without a mental or behavioural condition (17.0%).
Anxiety
In 2017-18, 3.2 million Australians (13.1%) had an anxiety-related condition. This was an increase from 2014-15 when 2.6 million people (or 11.2%) had such a condition. Females had an anxiety-related condition at one and a half times the rate of males (15.7% compared with 10.6%).
The increase in rates of anxiety-related conditions between 2014-15 and 2017-18 was predominately in the younger age groups. For females aged 15-24 years, the proportion with anxiety-related conditions increased from 18.9% in 2014-15 to 24.6% in 2017-18. For males of the same age, the rate of anxiety-related conditions almost doubled between 2014-15 and 2017-18 (7.9% to 13.9%).
Depression or feelings of depression
Just over one in ten people (10.4%) had depression or feelings of depression in 2017-18, compared with 8.9% in 2014-15. While overall, females had depression or feelings of depression at a higher rate than males (11.6% compared with 9.1% respectively), the increase between 2014-15 and 2017-18 was especially evident amongst males aged 15-54 years.
Anxiety and depression commonly occur together, with around 1.5 million Australians (6.1%) having both an anxiety-related condition and depression or feelings of depression in 2017-18 (an increase from 2014-15, 1.1 million people or 5.0%).
Significant and complex relationship between mental health and disability
People with disability or a restrictive long-term health condition had much higher rates of mental and behavioural conditions compared with people with no disability or restrictive long-term health condition.
In 2017-18, more than half (57.9%) of all people with a profound or severe disability reported having a mental or behavioural condition, more than four times that of people with no disability or restrictive long-term health condition (13.7%), highlighting the significant and complex relationship between mental health and disability