Mental disorders surge among young adults: research

Mental disorders among young adults have surged, with new research showing the proportion of young Australians meeting diagnostic criteria for anxiety, mood or substance disorders has increased from 23.4 percent to 36.2 percent from 2007 to 2022.

Severe mental disorders rose even more sharply – increasing from 14.7 percent to 24 percent, with suicidal thoughts more than doubling for Australians aged 16 to 24.

It is the first study of its kind to perform national comparisons using diagnostic interviews to examine changes in rates of individual disorders among Australian youth over time, mapping estimates of prevalence, patterns and severity.

The Lancet Regional Health Western Pacific study, led by the Matilda Centre for Mental Health and Substance Use at the University of Sydney, examined national survey data of people aged 16 to 24 over the period between 2007–2022.

Key findings:

• Mental disorder prevalence increased from 23.4 percent in 2007 to 36.2 percent in 22, with those classed as ‘severe’ rising from 14.7 percent to 24 percent.
• Anxiety disorders, including agoraphobia (with or without panic disorder), social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, generalised anxiety disorder (GAD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) more than doubled from 12.2 percent to 29.1 percent.
• Mood disorders, including major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder and dysthymia – also known as persistent depressive disorder – also more than doubled from 4.9 percent to 13.3 percent.
• Comorbidity, severity, suicidal thoughts, psychological distress, and disability also rose, with one in five young Australians experiencing multiple disorders in 2022.
• Mental disorders continue to be more common in females, but increases were also observed in males, following a similar upward trajectory over the same period.

“Mental disorders among Australian youth have increased markedly since 2007, with greater severity and functional impairment,” said co-lead author Professor Tim Slade from the Matilda Centre.

“Our findings highlight that the issue extends beyond the idea that young people are simply feeling more stressed. We are seeing higher rates of severe mental disorders that can profoundly disrupt daily functioning and have lasting consequences for wellbeing.”

The researchers said it was important to recognise that tackling youth mental health could reduce cumulative disease burden over a lifetime, with mental disorders typically first emerging during childhood, adolescence and young adulthood, with 63 percent of lifetime cases onsetting before age 25.

They also cautioned that the increase was not a result of greater awareness of mental disorders.

“While younger people these days may have a slightly lower threshold to self-report symptoms of anxiety and depression, our other work suggests this does not explain the large increases we are seeing over time,” Professor Slade said.

They also found that while rates for most presentations accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic, they were also increasing in the lead up, cautioning against solely assigning blame to COVID.

“It is well established that COVID-19 had a significant impact on mental health. However, emerging research suggests that the pandemic may have represented the low point, and that mental health conditions among this cohort are now beginning to improve,” Professor Slade said.

Conversely, the study found there was a reduction in substance abuse disorders among young people, decreasing from 14.7 percent to 9.9 percent.

Pressures facing young people

While the study did not investigate specific causes, the researchers say there are likely to be a combination of stressors. To help explore the social and economic factors that may be influencing young people's mental health, the researchers conducted a structured focus group with members of the Matilda Centre's Youth Advisory Board. The board brings together young people with personal, family or community experience of mental health and substance use issues.

Following the focus group, Youth Advisory Board member Georgie Berry developed a companion paper to further explore the issues raised through the lived experience of young people. The paper was published alongside the study.

"We identified economic insecurity, precarious work and housing, the lingering impacts of the COVID pandemic on education and productivity, and the double-edged influence of digital media as factors that may contribute to poorer mental health among young people," said Georgie.

“Young people are trying to build their futures on a crumbling scaffold. We are not short of ideas or determination. Many of us feel we’re not being trusted to actively help shape the policies and services that affect our lives Young people need to be genuine partners and leaders in designing the solutions, not just research subjects or statistics."