Australia’s mental health: How do we stack up against other countries?

Here in Australia, we’re fortunate that the importance of caring for one’s mental health is valued by educational institutions, state and territory governments, employers, and the general public alike. In 2018-19, the government dedicated $10.6 billion to the mental health industry, and awareness is continually being raised through initiatives such as R U OK? day.

Even though Australia is largely recognised as a global leader in mental health policymaking and management, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) (2021), at least 1 in 5 people aged 16-85 will experience a mental health disorder at some point in their lifetime - with the most common ones being depression, anxiety and substance use disorders. The onset of the COVID-19 global pandemic in early 2020 has had an especially significant impact on the mental health and wellbeing of millions of Australians, due to recurring and extensive lockdowns, social distancing measures, and physical isolation.

What defines mental health, exactly?

Mental health forms an essential part of one’s overall health. As such, the broader definition of health is also relevant to the meaning of mental health, specifically. The World Health Organisation defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”, and mental health as “a state of well-being in which an individual realises his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and is able to make a contribution to his or her own community”.

Thus, having “good” mental health is not merely the absence of illnesses or disorders such as depression, anxiety, substance abuse, or any other number of conditions. That’s why we’ll explore other measures that contribute towards quality of life in this article.

So how can we measure ‘mental health’, apart from the absence of mental disorders?

In May of 2011, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) launched their “Better Life Initiative”, aimed at compiling internationally relevant and comparable measures of wellbeing to provide a comprehensive picture of the overall satisfaction and happiness people of each country feel. The initiative consists of two components: the Better Life Index (BLI), presented in the form of an online interactive tool, and the “How’s Life? Measuring Well-being” report, published biennially (you can read the most recent 2020 version, and previous editions of the report, here).

The BLI takes into account 11 dimensions of well-being within each country of the OECD, of which Australia is one:

• Housing | Reports on the above or below-average OECD figure of 1.8 rooms per person, whether individuals have private access to an indoor flushing toilet, percentage of gross adjusted disposable income spent on things like rent, utilities, repairs, furniture.
  

• Income | Household net adjusted disposable income and net wealth.
  

• Jobs | Employment rate, long-term unemployment rate, average earnings and job security.
  

• Community | The strength of one’s social network - can people name someone who they could rely on in times of need?
  

• Education | Average years spent in the education system, proportion of the population who have completed secondary and tertiary education, and the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) scores.
  

• Environment | Air pollution, Particulate Matter (PM), and water quality.
  

• Civic Engagement | Proportion of the population that registered to vote, seats held by women in national parliament, for example.
  

• Health | Life expectancy, self-perceived health, and primary causes of death.
  

• Life Satisfaction | Overall satisfaction with life, not just based on current feelings.
  

• Safety | The extent to which people feel safe walking alone at night and the rate of homicide, for example.
  

• Work-Life Balance | How many people work longer than 50 hours per week; time free to be spent on one’s personal leisure activities.

So, where does Australia stand?

Of the 40 countries included, Australia ranks second in the BLI; following Norway, and with Iceland in third. Australia performs consistently well across all dimensions of well-being. Here are some noteworthy insights:

• Majority of Australians feel a strong sense of community. 95% of the population are able to say they know someone whom they could rely on in times of need - higher than the OECD average of 89%.
  

• Civic engagement is high. Of all people who registered to vote in the most recent 2019 federal election, 91% voted - much higher than the OECD average voter turnout of 68% (albeit, voting is compulsory in Australia). Nevertheless, this figure is an important representation of the extent to which Australians can become involved in government decisions on key issues that personally affect them - a contributor towards mental health that should not be overlooked.
  

• When asked to rate their overall satisfaction with life on a scale of 1 to 10, Australians on average gave a score of 7.3 - again higher than the OECD average of 6.5.
  

• Work-life balance - full-time workers in Australia spend, on average, 60% of their day (14.4 hours) dedicated to personal care and leisure activities (socialising, eating, sleeping, etc). This is slightly less than the OECD average of 15 hours.

Mental health resources here in Australia

If you or anyone you know may be struggling with mental health, there are many resources available both physically and online that are worth considering reaching out to. You can find a list available here, at Mental Health Australia.

Considering a career in mental health? We’d love to help get you started.

The significant role that mental health plays in each person’s own personal health and wellbeing is very much recognised here in Australia. Regardless of what role or capacity you find yourself working in, you’ll find it very rewarding, albeit challenging at times.

We’d love to make things simpler for you by providing you with personalised advice pertaining to your own individual circumstances, such as discussing your personal interests, what job in the industry may best suit your existing skill sets and personality, or your eligibility criteria for fee reductions. So please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We’re always up for a chat!