A surge in mental health disorders among young people and women has highlighted a need for dramatic reform and steps to address rising inequality, advocates have says. 

The nation's first comprehensive mental health survey in 15 years, the Australian Bureau of Statistics' National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing, showed a jump in mental health disorders among the country's young people, particularly women.

More than 5,500 Australians aged between 16 and 65 participated in the study between December 2020 and July 2021, with the results showing almost 40 per cent of young people reported experiencing a mental health disorder in the year leading up to the survey.

More than two-fifths of respondents had experienced a mental disorder in their lifetime.

A number of leading mental health experts told the ABC that, while it was upsetting to see the rates so high for young people, it was not surprising.

The data came after repeated warnings from mental health experts about a "shadow pandemic" of mental ill health and concerns about lockdowns' impact on children.

"We've had other national survey data that indicate that young people haven't been travelling well, even before the pandemic," said researcher Magenta Simmons, from youth mental health organisation Orygen.

Victoria's mental health royal commission, which found the state's system operating in crisis mode and failing to live up to expectations, is one of a number of worrying investigations into the country's mental health services.

"And we also know that young people have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic itself," Dr Simmons said.

But Dr Simmons, as well as a number of other experts who spoke to the ABC, said the pandemic was only one issue.

"We know that there's that generational inequality as well, we know that there are things like climate anxiety, and also housing instability, employment, the situation for young people is pretty dire. So, the pandemic is one part of the picture."

Orygen youth peer worker Bridget Moore, 23, said her mental health personally deteriorated through lockdowns, after years of what she described as "stable" recovery.

Ms Moore was diagnosed with major depressive disorder when she was about 15 and has experienced the public and private system while being treated for anorexia, obsessive-compulsive disorder and borderline personality disorder.

"I was lucky in the fact that I could get into the public mental health system quite quickly, because I was unfortunately, quite acute …

"But at the same time, I didn't get all that I needed. So I just got into the system, but the system didn't exactly support me in the ways that I needed or wanted at the time."

Ms Moore said that included a lack of early intervention support, a strained workforce and a lack of support for the "missing middle" — patients who are unwell, but not acute enough to get emergency care.

She acknowledged there were a range of factors influencing people's mental health, but the pandemic "definitely has had a huge impact".

"People who are predisposed to mental illness being in an isolated environment where the pandemic showed you that you need to essentially be alone, you had to cope and adapt to a lot of things by yourself and not have the appropriate support around you," Ms Moore said.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume.

Watch

Duration: 13 minutes 5 seconds13m

The survey showed LGBTQI+ people were more likely to have experienced a mental health disorder and more than one in 20 people reported someone close to them dying by suicide or attempting suicide in the year leading up to the survey.

Maree Teesson, chair of the Australian Mental Health Think Tank, said there were three major concerns for the sector in Australia: a strained mental health system, growing financial stress and inequality, and social disconnection.

"All of these issues have really hit Australians particularly hard. And the voice of so many people in this survey are telling us that loud and clear," Professor Teesson said.

'No quick fix' for systemic issues

Leading mental health organisation Beyond Blue said the ABS survey showed a need for "fundamental system reform" in the sector.

"Right now, Australia's mental health system is confusing to navigate, fragmented, unbalanced and often doesn't work for the people it's supposed to support," chief executive Georgie Harman said.

"We need governments, the sector, workplaces and the community working as one to build a functional, joined-up system where people can access supports that best suits their needs no matter their level of distress.

"A system that provides mental health and wellbeing support early in illness, early in episode and early in life. And a system that's always there for people in crisis, but doesn't need people to be in crisis to get support."

Deputy Chief Medical Officer for Mental Health, Ruth Vine, denied the system was failing young people but said "I do think it's capable of improvement".

"It's not a quick fix," Dr Vine said.

The deputy CMO said differences in priorities and funding across the country, states and territories was a challenge for Australia.

But she said progress was being made, including an in-principle agreement reached in March amid a funding stoush and increasingly accessible digital interventions and treatments.

Dr Vine said the key immediate priorities were continued engagement with those in the sector and boosting the workforce.

Youth peer worker Ms Moore said particularly when responding to the needs of young people, policymakers needed to look at the whole picture.

"Yes, mental health is a huge problem. But you need to look at the other things that are also impacting their mental health, like their family relationships, whether they've got food on the table," she said.

"You need to look at all the other bits that make up the puzzle for young people."