some facts about mental illness in Australia*

Mental illness affects 1 in 5 Australians, when this term is used broadly to include ppsychotic conditions such as schizophrenia, affective disorders such as bipolar disorder and the various forms of depression, anxiety disorders and a host of other diagnoses. Only about a half of those affected by mental disorders actually seek treatment.

Approximately 3% of the adult population is affected in a given year by what the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatry terms "severe mental disorders".

The impact of a mental illness on a person's life is profound. The level of
disability which results from a mental illness varies from person to person
and can often depend on how well they functioned prior to the onset of the
illness, the strength and stability of supportive relationships, and how long
they continue to experience the acute symptoms of the illness.

The number of adult Australians with a psychiatric disability is
approximately 147,000, and exceeds the number with intellectual
disability or acquired brain injury alone. The number of adult
Australians with a psychiatric disability receiving the Disability
Support Pension is approximately 75,000.

*quoted in "The Blueprint Guide to Employment and Psychiatric
Disability", Sane Australia, 2003