Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) shows almost 40 per cent of 16 to 24 year olds reported experiencing a mental health disorder within the past two years, this is up from 26 per cent in 2007.

The ABS study, conducted between 2020 and 2022 and surveying over 16,000 Australians aged 16 to 85, found two in five young women and one in four young men suffered from an anxiety-related disorder.

For the first time, the ABS survey included questions related to gender identity and sexual orientation.

People who identified as gay, lesbian or bisexual had nearly three times the rate of mental health disorders at 58.7 per cent compared to their heterosexual counterparts at 19.9 per cent.

One in three transgender people reported a mental health disorder over a 12-month span compared with one in five cisgender people.

The results also showed a significant uptick (45.1 per cent) of those with a mental health condition seeking treatment and support from a health professional, up from 12 per cent in 2007.

Despite an increase in those seeking mental health support, funding, staffing and service delivery has not kept pace with demand, with mental health experts and mental health nurses describing the mental health system “as not coping”.

Calls have been renewed for state and federal governments to improve targeted funding for mental health services, and for the implementation of transparent and enforceable nurse-to-patient ratios in mental health settings.