The Australian Bureau of Statistics estimated that 2.1 million Australians, or 9.3 per cent of our population, were suffering from some form of depression. On average, around 1 in 6 people – 1 in 5 women and 1 in 8 men – will experience MDD at some point in their lives.
Increases in psychological distress were seen particularly for young Australian adults, with the proportion of people aged 18–24 experiencing high levels of psychological distress increasing from 14% in 2017 to 22% in April 2020 (Biddle et al. 2020).
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.
Mental health is a key component of overall health and wellbeing (WHO 2021). In any year in Australia, an estimated 1 in 5 people aged 16–85 will experience a mental health disorder (ABS 2022).
Australia scored higher for children's physical health (28th), and their academic and life skills (19th). And we were ranked higher than New Zealand (35th) and the United States, which came absolute last on all three measures – mental health, physical wellbeing, and academic and life skills.
Sweden. Sweden has the top positive mental health index which basically gives the mental health status of a given population.
Message: One in 13 people in Australia experienced depression symptoms in 2020-21. Breakdown: In 2020/21, 7.5% of people aged 16-85 years experienced an affective condition in the last 12 months. This is equivalent to 1.5 million people1.
The United States has some of the worst mental health–related outcomes, including the highest suicide rate and second-highest drug-related death rate. The U.S. has a relatively low supply of mental health workers, particularly psychologists and psychiatrists.
Interestingly, the number of mental health issues does differ from state to state. For example, Tasmania sees the highest rate of anxiety and depression -- at 21.6% and 18.1% affected respectively, while Queenslanders show the highest stress levels, with 27.5% reporting that they're regularly affected by stress.
Countries with the least depression include several smaller, lower-income countries in South Asia such as Brunei, Myanmar, Timor-Leste and Mali, where less than 2.5% of the population is reported to have a depressive disorder.
Sociologists who measure anxiety levels of entire nations have concluded that the US is, by far, the most anxious nation on Earth. About one in three Americans can be expected to suffer anxiety at some point in their lifetime, compared with one in four Colombians, who occupy the second world-anxiety slot.
Economic history
The Depression was particularly long and severe in the United States and Europe; it was milder in Japan and much of Latin America.
One in five Australians reported a mental or behavioural condition in 2017–18. Anxiety and depression rates continue to creep upwards, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics' (ABS) National Health Survey: First Results, 2017–18.
Drug and alcohol use can lead to depression. Many people with depression also have drug and alcohol problems. Over 500,000 Australians will experience depression and a substance use disorder at the same time, at some point in their lives.
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.
- Depression affects more people than any other mental disorder and is also one of the world's leading causes of disability. Although it is a treatable disease, six out of every ten people who have depression in Latin America and the Caribbean do not seek or do not receive the treatment they need.
50% of mental illness begins by age 14, and 3/4 begin by age 24.
Depression is a common mental disorder. Globally, an estimated 5% of adults suffer from depression. More women are affected by depression than men. Depression can lead to suicide.
20% or 4.8 million Australians had a mental or behavioural condition, an increase from 18% in 2014-15. 13% or 3.2 million Australians had an anxiety-related condition, an increase from 11% in 2014-15. 10% had depression or feelings of depression, an increase from 9% in 2014-15.
3 million Australians are living with anxiety. Anxiety is the most common mental health condition in Australia. 1 in 4 people will experience anxiety at some stage in their life.
From those who were surveyed, public and private transit showed the highest at 16.2% of workers suffering depression, followed by real estate (15.7%), social services (14.6%), manufacturing (14.3%), and personal services (14.3%).
Of those, the three most common diagnoses are anxiety disorders, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
New Jersey comes in as the number one best state to live in the US for your family's mental health in 2022. Data has shown that symptoms of mental illness among adults in New Jersey (16.14%) are lower than the national average in the US (21.1%)1.
The global estimate includes well over 320,000 psychologists in Europe, at least 250,000 in Latin America, and 225,000 in the United States. The country with the highest density of psychologists is Argentina.