Birth to 5 years: ‘Other’ mental disorders (including sleep disorders and separation anxiety), gastrointestinal infections and asthma are the leading causes of total burden of disease 5 to 14 years: Asthma, anxiety and depressive disorders are the leading causes of burden in young girls 15 to 24 years: Anxiety disorders, depressive disorders and asthma continue to lead the cause of disease burden Suicide/self-inflicted injuries and motor vehicle accidents are the leading causes of death Young women are at greater risk of experiencing violence, particularly women inexperienced in relationships or in a relationship where there is a substantial age gap between partners 25 to 44 years: Anxiety and depressive disorders are leading disease burden Burden due to intimate partner violence was highest among women aged 40 to 44 years Suicide/self-inflicted injuries and breast cancer are the leading causes of burden 45 to 64 years: Musculoskeletal and back pain problems, anxiety disorders, breast, lung and bowel cancers, and coronary heart disease are the leading causes of total burden 65 to 74 years: Musculoskeletal and back pain and problems along with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are the leading causes of non-fatal burden Lung and breast cancers alongside coronary heart disease are the leading causes of fatal burden 75 years and older: Dementia and coronary disease, hearing and vision disorders and musculoskeletal conditions, increasingly account for the total burden of disease
Focus on access to mental health support services for groups with lower access and greater need Tailor services and messaging to respond to the cultural determinants of health Develop specific strategies to target and reduce mental ill health among priority populations Fill gaps for key populations, for example 0-12 and 25+ categories of people who are not served by existing services. Expand existing services for lower prevalence high impact conditions Invest in services for bipolar disorder and schizophrenia Primary Health Networks to coordinate services and support lower prevalence conditions through development of capability protocols and clinical governance models. Support innovative initiatives to develop a new generation of mental health services through co-design with adolescents and women Build engagement among this priority population. Embed practices to reduce stigma associated with mental ill-health Action Detail Promote positive mental health messaging through mobile and digital channels, to combat stigma and misinformation that affects women and girls Messaging should highlight the importance of giving the end-user a voice, in particular the lived-experience voice – ordinary women and girls should be advocates for their peers. Use these diverse voices to reflect diverse experiences on a variety of forms of mental ill-health, including conditions. Acknowledge and address the role of trauma in mental Educate the Australian community on the use of appropriate, language around mental health Use a co-design approach to identify language preferences. Advertise online resources for organisations and institutions to similarly responsible language. Continue working to normalise everyday conversations around suicide. Invest in continuing education and awareness-raising for health professionals to embed inclusive practices in the health system Focus on the needs of transgender, intersex, non-binary and gender-diverse Australians. Consider specific actions to reduce harm and improve engagement with the health system. understood