Mental illness rife in Australia

One in five Australians aged 16–85 years had a mental disorder in 2007, according to figures released on 23 October by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

Anxiety disorders - such as panic disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder - were the most common, affecting 14 per cent of people. Affective disorders - such as depression - affected 6 per cent, while substance use disorders affected 5 per cent.

The most commonly experienced anxiety disorders were post-traumatic stress disorder (6 per cent) and social phobia (5 per cent). Depression was the most common affective disorder (4 per cent), and the harmful use of alcohol the most common substance use disorder (3 per cent).

Women were more likely to experience mental disorders (22 per cent) than men (18 per cent), with a higher rate of anxiety disorders (18 per cent compared to 11 per cent for men) and affective disorders (7 per cent and 5 per cent). However, men had more than twice the rate of substance use disorders (7 per cent) compared to women (3 per cent).

Younger people were more likely to have a mental disorder than older people. Just over a quarter (26 per cent) of people aged 16–24 had a disorder compared to 6 per cent of people aged 75–85.

Substance use disorders were more common for younger people (13 per cent) than other age groups, while anxiety disorders were more common in people aged 35–44 (18 per cent).

Just over a third (34 per cent) of people living in one parent families had a mental disorder compared with 19 per cent of people in couple families with children.

Over half (54 per cent) the people who had ever been homeless had a disorder, nearly three times the rate of people who had not.

Mental disorders were also more common in unemployed people (29 per cent) and in people who had ever been incarcerated (41 per cent).

1.9 million people accessed services for mental health problems in the 12 months prior to the survey.

(Source: Australian Bureau of Statisics: October 2008)