some facts about mental illness in Australia*

Mental illness affects 1 in 5 Australians, when this term is used broadly to include psychotic 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