Youth Mental Illness
Why is it important?
- Three quarters of mental health problems are known to start before the age of 25.
- If left untreated mental health issues can have a significant long term emotional, financial and social impact on the individual, their family and peers, as well as the wider community. This includes an increased risk of mental health problems in adulthood, drug and alcohol abuse, self-harm, anxiety, depression and suicide.
- Almost two thirds of those with mental health issues do not receive the specialised treatment that they need to help them overcome their mental illness.
- Suicide has overtaken motor vehicle accidents as the leading cause of death among young adults aged 15–44 years in Australia.
- Around a quarter of deaths in youth aged 15-24 years are due to suicide.
- Australia’s suicide rate in 15-19 year olds is higher than the US, UK and Japan
- The following quote is taken from the largest landmark study of its kind in the US: “The prevalence of severe emotional and behavioral disorders is even higher than the most frequent major physical conditions in adolescence including asthma or diabetes which have received widespread public health attention”.