Australian youth mental disorders rose sharply from 2007 to 2022

Australian youth mental disorders increased substantially between 2007 and 2022, according to research led by the University of Sydney’s Matilda Centre for Mental Health and Substance Use. The study matters because it used diagnostic interviews, rather than symptom checklists alone, to compare national data on Australians ages 16 to 24 across a 15-year span.

The research, published in The Lancet Regional Health Western Pacific, found that the share of young people meeting criteria for anxiety, mood or substance disorders rose from 23.4% in 2007 to 36.2% in 2022. Disorders classed as severe increased from 14.7% to 24%, the University of Sydney reported.

How much have Australian youth mental disorders increased?

Anxiety disorders showed the largest change in the University of Sydney-led analysis, rising from 12.2% to 29.1%. The study grouped agoraphobia, social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder under anxiety disorders.

Mood disorders also rose, increasing from 4.9% to 13.3%, according to the study. That category included major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder and dysthymia, also called persistent depressive disorder.

The researchers reported increases in comorbidity, severity, suicidal thoughts, psychological distress and disability. In 2022, one in five young Australians had more than one disorder, according to the University of Sydney.

Professor Tim Slade, a co-lead author from the Matilda Centre, said the results point to more than young people reporting ordinary stress. He said the study found higher levels of serious disorders linked to impaired day-to-day functioning and longer-term risks to wellbeing.

Did COVID-19 cause the rise?

The researchers said the pandemic coincided with faster increases for most conditions, but they also said rates had already been climbing before COVID-19. Slade said COVID-19 had a clear effect on mental health, while emerging work suggests the pandemic may have marked a low point for this age group, with conditions now starting to improve.

The study also said increased awareness of mental disorders does not fully account for the trend. Slade said young people may now be more willing to report anxiety and depression symptoms, but the research team’s other work indicates that reporting changes do not explain the size of the rise over time.

What pressures did young people identify?

The main study did not test specific causes, the University of Sydney said. To examine possible social and economic factors, researchers held a structured focus group with the Matilda Centre’s Youth Advisory Board, which includes young people with personal, family or community experience of mental health and substance use issues.

Youth Advisory Board member Georgie Berry wrote a companion paper published alongside the study. Berry identified economic insecurity, unstable work and housing, ongoing effects of COVID-19 on education and productivity, and digital media’s mixed role as factors that may affect young people’s mental health.

Berry said young people want a role in shaping the policies and services that affect them. She argued that they should be partners and leaders in designing responses, rather than being treated only as research participants or statistics.

How was the study done?

The researchers compared two large national surveys conducted in 2007 and 2022. Both surveys covered Australian residents ages 16 to 85 living in private dwellings across states and territories, although very remote areas, including discrete Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, were not included.

Diagnostic information came from the interviewer-administered World Mental Health Consortium Composite International Diagnostic Interview, according to the study. Diagnostic interviews use structured questions to assess whether a person meets criteria for specific mental disorders.

The response rate was 60% in 2007 and 52% in 2022, the researchers reported. One contrasting finding was a decline in substance use disorders among young people, which fell from 14.7% to 9.9% over the same period.

This story draws on original reporting from Medical Xpress.