Almost one in two Australians will experience a mental health concern during their lifetime. Some of the major types of mental health conditions are anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, personality disorders and eating disorders. The most common are anxiety and depression.

Our region has high levels of mental health concerns related to stress, including anxiety and depression. Regional areas with socio-economic disadvantage are particularly affected.

• During 2017–18, around ine in seven adults in the region experienced high or very high psychological distress, which was higher than the Queensland and national averages (PHIDU 2021).

• As of February 2022, more than 110,000 people (one in five) had discussed a mental health concern with their general practitioner. A diagnosis of anxiety was recorded for around half (53%), and a diagnosis of depression for 62% (DDWMPHN 2021a).

• It is estimated that around 19% of young people aged 15–24 in the region have a mental health concern, 23% of those aged 25–44, and 22% of those aged 45 years and older (DDWMPHN 2021a).

• During 2018–19, more than 4% of hospitalisations of people in the region were for a mental health or behavioural disorder. This is a rate of 2,066 hospitalisations per 100,000 residents, below the Queensland average of 2,658 per 100,000 residents (Queensland Health 2020).

• Residents told us that when it comes to supporting their mental health, they would like to see:

1. an accessible referral system to help find, choose and access services they need; this includes more services available in the community, such as via telehealth (Health Consumers Queensland 2021b)
2. information and communication exchanged between health professionals about their care and the strategies to assist them (Health Consumer Queensland 2021b).

The causes of suicide are complex. Factors that may contribute to suicide include stressful life events, trauma, mental health issues, physical concerns, drug or alcohol use, and poor living circumstances (Leske et al. 2019). 

Our region has a disproportionately high number of deaths by suicide.

• During 2020, the deaths of 105 people in the region were recorded as suspected suicides. This was a rate of 18.5 per 100,000 residents, higher than the Queensland average rate of 15.1 per 100,000 people (Leske et al. 2020).

• Within the region, Cherbourg (243 per 100,000), South Burnett (33 per 100,000) and Somerset (28 per 100,000) regional areas reported the highest suicide death from 2016 to 2020 (PHIDU 2021).

• About 15,525 potential years of life were lost to suicide and self-inflicted injuries in the region during 2016–20. High rates were reported for Cherbourg, Somerset, South Burnett and Western Downs regional areas (PHIDU 2021). This suggests a need to focus on younger adults in these communities. 

• In 2019–20, 150 people per 100,000 residents in the region were admitted to hospitals due to intentional self-harm, 33% higher than the national rate of 113 people per 100,000 (AIHW 2021h).

• Residents told us that when it comes to supporting their mental health and wellbeing, they would like to see (Health Consumer Queensland 2021b):

1. improved access to specialist mental health services provided by psychologists or psychiatrists
2. reduced wait times and costs in receiving care
3. holistic approaches to support communities, health practitioners and people at risk of suicide, particularly in the referral process and in integrated delivery of care.

Around three in four (75%) people are likely to develop a mental health concern by the age of 25 (Kessler et al. 2007). Common mental health conditions in young people include major depressive disorder, anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and conduct disorder.

Our region’s young people have high rates of mental health issues.

• In 2020, 19% of young people aged 15–24 years in the region were diagnosed with a mental health concern by their primary healthcare provider (DDWMPHN 2021a). 

• For those diagnosed with a mental health concern, anxiety (64%), depression (48%) and bipolar disorder (2%) were the most prevalent mental health conditions diagnosed in the region (DDWMPHN 2021a).

• Young people said that when it comes to supporting their mental health and wellbeing, they would like to see (Health consumers Queensland 2021b):

1. improved access to mental health services for young people
2. better access to specialised mental health treatments
3. increased health promotion activities in schools
4. more early interventions.