Mental Health Statistics

Incidence of Dual Diagnosis (DD)

• 42.9% of the population will experience a mental health (MH) disorder in their lifetime.
• 21.5% of the population experienced a MH disorder in the prior 12 months, with anxiety being the most common at 17.2%.
• 38.8% of people aged 16-24 had a MH disorder in the prior 12 months.
• People with a MH disorder are likely to have substance use issues and vice versa.
• Dual diagnosis prevalence estimates range from 30-90%, varying based on diagnostic criteria and settings.
• Higher prevalence in Alcohol & Drug (A&D) settings, treatment settings, and among Indigenous Australians.
• In A&D settings, females with alcohol use disorder are more likely to have other mental disorders compared to males.

Incidence of Dual Diagnosis (DD) in A&D Settings

• 48% of females in A&D settings have alcohol use disorder, anxiety, affective, or drug use disorder.
• 34% of males in A&D settings have alcohol use disorder or mental disorder.
• 9% of males in A&D settings do not have alcohol use disorder.
• Alcohol dependence increases the risk of affective disorder by 4.5 times and anxiety disorder by 4.4 times.
• Cannabis dependence increases the risk of anxiety disorder by 4.3 times.
• Tobacco users are 2.2 times more likely to have affective disorder and 2.4 times more likely to have anxiety disorder.
• Methamphetamine users are at risk of psychotic episodes, with up to 30% experiencing psychotic episodes each year.
• Approximately one-third of people hospitalized with a methamphetamine-induced psychotic episode go on to be diagnosed with schizophrenia later in life.

How Drug Use Causes Mental Health Problems

• Depressants reduce arousal and stimulation, leading to symptoms of depression, including:
  • Feeling sad or depressed
  • Loss of interest and pleasure in normal activities
  • Loss of appetite or weight
  • Inability to sleep or waking up early
  • Feeling tired all the time
  • Having trouble concentrating
  • Feeling restless, agitated, worthless, or guilty
  • Feeling that life isn't worth living
• Stimulants can worsen depression and anxiety, with long-term use potentially leading to depression-like symptoms.

Anxiety

• Symptoms of anxiety include:
  • Feeling worried all the time
  • Getting tired easily
  • Unable to concentrate
  • Feeling irritable
  • Irregular heartbeats or palpitations
  • Dizziness
  • Muscle tensions and pains
• Depressants can exacerbate anxiety, while stimulants can increase anxiety states and panic.
• Hangxiety, a combination of hangover and anxiety, can impair emotional regulation and cognitive functions.

Factors Influencing AOD Use

• Not finishing high school, unemployment, and depression can increase the risk of AOD use.
• Personality characteristics may lead to use in greater quantities or frequency.
• Lower socioeconomic status, cognitive impairment, conduct disorder in childhood, and antisocial personality disorder can increase the risk of both AOD and mental health conditions.

Dual Diagnosis Concerns

• Greater severity of disorders, increased risk of relapse, and effects on medications are concerns for dual diagnosis clients.
• Loss of support networks, unstable accommodation, family/relationship issues, double stigmatisation, harder access to service, lack of education, and forensic mental health/legal issues can also occur.
• Poorer self-care, increased risk-taking behaviour, and non-compliance with medication can also be concerns.

Issues for Treatment Services

• Complex presentations, unclear diagnoses, and lack of dual expertise or awareness of issues can be challenges for treatment services.
• Added work and perceptions of more effective work can also be issues.
• Lack of flexibility in service provision, confronting clinicians' own issues, and diagnostic issues can also be concerns.