Study: Young women have higher risk of developing mental illness than young men

Young females were almost twice as likely to have probable mental illness as young males, reveals a new report by Mission Australia and Black Dog Institute.

The joint study claims that one in five young people aged 15 to 17 experience increased levels of psychological distress, which indicates a probable mental illness. Between 2012 and 2014, the prevalence of probable mental illness among young people jumped from 18.2 percent to 20 percent. While a significant rise was noted among young women, the prevalence among young men has stayed relatively stable over a three-year period.

The federal government is being urged to consider these concerning findings in the mental health reform plan, which will be announced by the end of the year. According to Mission Australia chief executive officer Catherine Yeomans, their report is consistent with other studies across Western countries.

Yeomans warned that while adolescence is normally a difficult time for young people, the team's findings do not indicate the typical teenage angst but a serious mental illness. “Mental health disorders have a terrible impact on wellbeing as well as impaired academic achievement, low social participation and increased risk of substance abuse, all of which have serious knock on effects on social and economic participation and quality of life in the future,” Yeomans said.

The report is a result of the group’s annual survey conducted among young Australians. Mission Australia’s Youth Survey collects information on a broad range of issues, including levels of psychological distress in young people, as measured by the Kessler 6.

According to the survey, young people are extremely concerned about coping with stress, school and study as well as body image. While these issues are common among young people in general, those with probable mental illness were much more likely to be affected than those without the condition.

In coping with stress, young people with probable mental illness said that they would be most comfortable seeking help from friends, the Internet, parents and relatives or family friends.

This supports the findings of University of Canberra psychology researcher Professor Debra Rickwood, who claims young Australians prefer to seek help from their family and friends rather than professionals. According to Rickwood, young people don’t recognise symptoms of mental illness as something that needs professional attention. They think they should be able to deal with symptoms themselves and that professional care won't help. They also worry about the stigma associated with mental illness.

According to Professor Helen Christensen, director of Black Dog Institute, the report highlights the important role of parents and educational professionals in supporting young people in accessing mental health interventions and available services for them.

“Research clearly shows that prevention and early intervention programmes can have a significant impact on the likelihood of a young person going on to develop a serious and debilitating mental illness,” Christensen explained.

According to her, a set of evidence-based intervention programmes should be implemented in all high schools to reduce rates of stress, anxiety and depression, as well as tackling stigma, improving mental health literacy and encouraging help-seeking.

Technology could also be maximised for the immediate action of these programmes, Christensen said. With nearly all young Australians having access to the Internet, the programmes could be delivered using the tools the youth are most comfortable with, such as mobile phones, tablets and computers.

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