A new study has revealed that Australian teenagers are having to wait too long to see a treatment provider for anxiety and depression.
The findings underline the need for teachers and parents to be provided with resources to be better equipped to recognise and take modest steps to address signs of anxiety in teenagers. That is why we developed the Resilience In Our Teens project, which is currently operating in more than 70 secondary schools.
Anxiety will not usually fix itself. Unless something changes, it will tend to worsen. However, there is some good news:
‘Seemingly modest interventions delivered by significant adults can make a difference and turn that progression around in cases of mild anxiety.’ – Michael Hawton, psychologist, former teacher, author of The Anxiety Coach, and developer of Resilience In Our Teens.
The Resilience In Our Teens project is based on three underlying principles: first, by understanding how anxiety develops teachers and school staff can counter its progress. Second, they can play a preventative role in stopping teenagers from worrying too much. Third, there are practical steps to take to build resilience thinking in teenagers.
Two-thirds of anxiety disorders are learned behaviour, which means that two-thirds of anxiety disorders can be unlearned.
The study
The Black Dog Institute surveyed 375 teenagers aged 13–17 years old and published its report in March. It found that those with anxiety and depression had to wait an average of 99.6 days to see a treatment provider.
Of those surveyed 85.2% felt their wait times were ‘too long’, and almost 40% reported receiving little to no support while waiting.
Longer wait times were associated with increased psychological distress, and many adolescents perceived that their mental health worsened during the wait time. Most participants did not receive any support from their healthcare providers during the wait time and engaged in maladaptive and risky coping behaviours while waiting.
Dr Cathy Andronis, Chair of RACGP Specific Interests Psychological Medicine, described the study’s findings as ‘sadly normal’, and said the wait times were only getting worse.
‘Youth mental health care is dire, despite adolescence being a critical time for mental illness presentation where the need for early intervention is potentially lifesaving,’ she told newsGP.
‘We are doing the opposite of what is ethically, socially and economically responsible to ignore young people who can bounce back into healthy lifestyles with timely intervention.’
The study’s lead researcher Professor Bridianne O’Dea, from Flinders University, said the findings highlighted the ‘crisis’ in youth mental health care.
‘We are now in the midst of a crisis where the demand for youth mental health care has increased rapidly in the past two decades,’ she said.
Roughly one in seven Australian children and adolescents had a mental illness in the past 12 months. Rates of mental illness have also increased over time, particularly among younger generations.
COVID effect
According to Professor O'Dea the COVID pandemic led to a rapid rise in the number of children and young people seeing their GP for mental health problems.
The number of visits to the emergency department in New South Wales for self-harm, or plans or thoughts about suicide, have also increased since COVID.
The annual Mission Australia Survey reveals young Australians see mental health as one of their biggest challenges, with thousands calling for more support.
A national issue
According to the 2020–2022 National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing (NSMHW), of Australians aged 16–85, an estimated:
8.5 million had experienced a mental illness at some time in their life (43% of the population).
4.3 million had experienced a mental illness in the previous 12 months (22% of the population).
The most common mental illnesses in Australia, in the 12 months prior to the study, were:
Anxiety disorders
(3.4 million people, or 17% of the population)
Affective disorders
(1.5 million, or 8%)
Substance Use disorders
(650,000, or 3%).
A world problem
This problem is not unique to Australia: the US Surgeon General has declared a ‘youth mental health crisis’, while the authors of The Lancet Psychiatry Commission on youth mental health say:
‘Mental ill health is the primary threat to the health, wellbeing, and productivity of young people who are in transition from childhood to mature adulthood...Mental ill health now accounts for at least 45% of the overall burden of disease in those aged 10-24 years.’
A youth mental health crisis
It’s heartbreaking. It’s deeply concerning. It’s potentially a massive drain on our resources and profoundly negative for our society and the individuals, families and schools within it.
With such a large problem it can all seem too much. ‘What can I do?’ we wonder. We think the problem is too big and too widespread for us to make a difference.
The opposite is true.
If we don’t do something to address the anxiety disorders our teens are suffering from, the problem will get worse.
‘Seemingly modest interventions delivered by significant adults can make a difference and turn that progression around for mild to moderate anxiety.’
There is something we can do, and it starts in our schools. Join us and become part of the solution to this crisis.
Resilience In Our Teens is offered as a whole-of-school program only. We hold regular information sessions to explain how it can be implemented in your school. To learn more, join us for a free online information session, on 13 June from 1.00pm - 2.00pm. REGISTER HERE.
Parentshop is currently taking Expressions of Interest from schools that are interested in participating in the 2025/2026 project. Registering your interest does not commit you in any way, but does give us an idea of your school size and circumstances, so we can provide you a more accurate idea of costs, timing and logistics.
Fill out your EOI HERE.
*Please note: While the Resilience In Our Teens™ course provides evidence-based strategies for assisting teenagers with mild-to-moderate level anxiety to help them feel stronger, there is a place for a referral to a psychologist or mental health professional.
To find your nearest psychologist go to the APS website: www.psychology.org.au/find-a-psychologist