Housing affordability a main contributor to stress and poor mental health among Queenslanders age 25-34

Queenslanders aged between 25 and 34 have had the highest number of mental health presentations to emergency departments for the past three years, shocking new data shows, and there is one factor dominating the causes of the trend.

Young adults in Queensland dealing with everyday stresses including housing affordability have had the highest number of mental health presentations to emergency departments for the past three years, according to federal government data.

Queenslanders between 25 and 34 years of age have generally finished studying and are at the beginning of their career, could be starting a family and are likely being smacked down by the housing market boom.

As rent and median house prices skyrocket, director of ADAPT economics Gene Tunny says young people are in real trouble if they don’t have access to the “bank of mum and dad”.

“There’s no doubt housing and affordability is a huge problem,” Mr Tunny said. “There’s going to be people who are sort of condemned to renting forever.”

According to the Property Council, almost 70 per cent of voters feared this age group would never be able to buy a home.

Samantha Hankins. (Image/Josh Woning)

BFT Indooroopilly gym owner Samantha Hankins, 32, and her partner have been looking for somewhere to rent for more than three months.

“The struggle at the moment is trying to find something that is affordable, and not completely rundown,” Ms Hankins said.

Ms Hankins urged people who could make sacrifices in other areas of their life to invest in their health and their mental health.

Queensland Health said it was investing in mental health and was devising ways to combat the mental health crisis.

Confidential mental health telephone triage service is available on 1300 MH CALL (1300 642 255).