Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders struggle more with mental health and psychological distress than other Australian’s, according to an aggregation of health articles by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
The publication shows a huge difference in poor mental health between Indigenous Australians and Non-Indigenous Australians. The Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey said psychological distress levels for those over 18 had raised from 27 to 30 per cent from 2005 to 2013.
The survey highlighted that cases of psychological distress in Indigenous women aged 18-to-24 had doubled to almost 40 per cent, compared to 15 per cent of Non-Indigenous women in the same age bracket.
There were also inequalities within the Indigenous community, with 36 per cent of women having high psychological distress in contrast to men at 24 per cent.
General Australian mental health and wellbeing was also included. A recent study quoted 78 per cent of Australian’s classify as being “satisfied” with their lives. Other studies have indicated 45 per cent of all people over 18 years old suffer from a mental disorder.
A 2012 study stated over 70 per cent of people had experienced at least a low level of psychological distress. 12 per cent of females and nine per cent of males indicated they had experienced high or very high level of distress, based on the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale.
