A generation of young Australians is at risk of experiencing a mental health crisis. One in two teens (more than 4 million) are projected to face depression or anxiety by age 20, unless urgent action is taken to address the drivers of poor mental health.

New modelling led by Burnet Institute found that investing between $50 million and $1 billion annually  into prevention programs could prevent up to 787,000 young Australians from experiencing anxiety and depressions by 2050 and deliver up to $74 billion in societal economic benefits.

Study lead, Burnet researcher Alexander Thomas, said the study determined how an additional mental health budget could be best distributed to stop these problems at their roots.

“We’re seeing rising rates of mental illness among young Australians, and it’s crucial we act on what the evidence tells us works,” Mr Thomas said.

“There is existing evidence based, cost-effective prevention programs that target key risk factors like bullying, financial stress and poor school connectedness. 

“Our study shows that packaging these interventions together can make a big difference in improving adolescent mental health and wellbeing.”

The study found the most cost-effective and impactful prevention programs were school-based mental health initiatives. These include school bullying prevention programs, racism education and social and emotional learning initiatives that build resilience from early childhood.

Programs addressing early risk factors such as child maltreatment and financial stress can also deliver strong results and reach large numbers of adolescents.

Professor Susan Sawyer, study co-author and Director of the Centre for Adolescent Health at MCRI and the Royal Children’s Hospital, said mental health prevention has not received the investment it deserves.

“The prevalence of mental disorders among young people keeps rising — and so do the costs,” Professor Sawyer said.

“Treatment is vital, but it’s not enough. Real progress means preventing harm before it starts, by investing in interventions that address the conditions that put young people at risk, like poverty, abuse and discrimination.”

Fast Facts:

Bullying: people aged 10 to 19 are at the highest risk of being bullied and are 3.4 times more likely to develop anxiety or depression.

Poor school connectedness: feeling disconnected from the school community raises the risk of common mental disorders (depression and anxiety) by 2.5 times and impacts a sense of safety, belonging and emotional wellbeing.

Financial hardship: children in financially stressed families face up to 2.3 times higher odds of common mental disorders.

Racial discrimination: young people who experience racism are 3 times more likely to develop mental illness. 

Child maltreatment: exposure to abuse, neglect, or domestic violence raises the risk of common mental disorders by more than 3 times.