CANBERRA is the only state or territory in the nation that has seen psychological distress decrease in young people.

In 2020, about one in five young people in the ACT say they were experiencing psychological distress (19.9 percent – the lowest proportion by location), which has descreased from almost one in three in 2012.

The data has come out of the recently published “Psychological distress in young people in Australia fifth biennial youth mental health report: 2012-2020”.

It explores Mission Australia’s Youth Survey findings – and is co-authored with Black Dog Institute experts – to better understand the prevalence and experiences of psychological distress faced by 15-19 year-olds in the ACT.

Key findings from the report include:

• Close to 30 per cent (29 per cent) of young females in the ACT say they are experiencing psychological distress, compared with more than one in eight young males (13.3 per cent). This is the lowest proportion of young females experiencing psychological distress by location in Australia for 2020. Psychological distress has also decreased across both cohorts since 2012 – young females by 1.8 per cent and young males by 17.5 per cent.
• Close to one in three (34 per cent) Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander young people from ACT report experiencing psychological distress, compared with 19.2 per cent for non-indigenous young people (which is the lowest proportion for the cohort by location in 2020). 
• In 2020, 31.3 per cent of young people with disability in ACT report experiencing psychological distress – a decrease of 35.4 per cent since 2012. Close to one in five (19 per cent) young people without disability said they are experiencing psychological distress – a decrease of 0.6 per cent since 2012.
• Psychological distress decreased across all age groups in 2020 for ACT since 2012.
• Of the young people from ACT that reported experiencing psychological distress, 7.2 per cent said they felt they have no control over their lives.
• The top three personal issues for young people in ACT with psychological distress are coping with stress (68.4 per cent), mental health (62.7 per cent) and body image (54.4 per cent). More than one in three (35 per cent) young people from ACT with psychological distress are concerned about suicide.
• Close to two in five (38.6 per cent) young people from ACT with psychological distress report sleeping six hours or less each night.
• Almost 10 per cent (9.3 per cent) of young people in ACT with psychological distress state they did no exercise in a week.
• More than two in five (41.9 per cent) young people from ACT with psychological distress said they were treated unfairly in the past year (the lowest proportion across all locations) and the top three reasons for this unfair treatment were gender (51.5 per cent), mental health (44.4 per cent) and race/culture (28.3 per cent).

In light of the findings, Mission Australia and the Black Dog Institute are calling for more action from governments, schools, families, businesses and others to prioritise tailored, timely and accessible mental health support, in an effort to continue reducing the prevalence of mental ill-health among young people in the ACT.

In response to the report’s findings, Mission Australia’s Craig Westall said: “There are significant gaps in the mental health support system that have been accentuated by COVID-19.

“More age-appropriate prevention and early intervention mental health services are needed, and for these to be effective, young people must be central to the co-design, development and adaptation of such services and tools – both at school and within their communities.

“We all have a duty to safeguard young people’s wellbeing and properly support the enormous number of young people contending with mental health challenges.

“Every young person in the ACT should have access to appropriate supports at the time they need it, regardless of their gender, location, background or any other circumstances, and most definitely under special circumstances like a global pandemic. A key part of this includes further investment in evidence-based digital mental health services.”

Black Dog Institute’s director of research, Prof Jennie Hudson said: “Global research tells us that over 75 per cent of mental health issues develop before the age of 25, and these can have lifelong consequences.

“We are still in the dark as to why mental health and suicide risk has increased in our current cohort of youth, a finding that is not unique to Australia.

“Early intervention in adolescence and childhood is imperative to help reduce these figures. This report shows that young people in distress will seek help directly from friends, parents and the internet.”