Mental health among young Australians has changed markedly over the past 15 years. New national data show that the proportion of 16–24-year-olds experiencing a mental disorder in the previous 12 months in Australia rose from 23.4% in 2007 to 36.2% in 2020–2022.

This article explores these changes in more detail, finding particularly large increases in anxiety and mood disorders, alongside rising levels of comorbidity, psychological distress, suicidality and disability. At the same time, substance use disorders declined. The findings highlight not only that more young people are experiencing mental disorders, but that those experiencing them are increasingly likely to experience greater severity and functional impairment.