Anxiety or depression afflict one in four Australian teenagers during pandemic

Sleep-starved and screen-addicted teenagers are suffering the highest rates of mental illness on record, experts warn.

Sleep-starved and screen-addicted teenagers are suffering the highest rates of mental illness on record, as the pandemic pushes one in four adolescents into “psychological distress‘’.

Australia’s biggest survey of teenage mental health today reveals a clear link between lockdowns and childhood anxiety and depression.

Cooped-up Victorian kids – now in their 221st day of lockdown – voiced the most concern about mental health, body image and school or study problems.

Across Australia, one in four teenagers suffered from “psychological distress’’ in 2020, compared to one in five surveyed in 2012.

Alarmingly, one in three teenagers in psychological distress revealed they were “very or extremely concerned about suicide’’.

Mission Australia, which conducted the survey of 25,000 15 to 19-year-olds between April and August last year with the Black Dog Institute, called for “attention and swift action’’ to help high school students during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Not being able to go to school and socialise and do recreational activities, and falling behind in school work, is causing them stress and anxiety,’’ Mission Australia chief executive James Toomey said.

“They’re getting less sleep, more screen time and doing less sport and physical activity, all of which is associated with being locked up.’’

Teenage girls are worst affected by lockdown blues.

Mr Toomey called for more counsellors in schools, warning that too many children are missing out on professional help due to long wait times and high costs to see a psychologist or psychiatrist.

The survey measured teenagers’ mental health using the “Keesler 6 tool’’, used by doctors to measure anxiety and depression by asking whether they felt nervous, depressed, hopeless, worthless or that everything was an effort during the past four weeks.

Girls are twice as likely as boys to suffer psychological distress, with two-thirds of teenage girls worried about body image – a worrying indicator for eating disorders.

Poor sleep and high screen use are linked to mental health problems, with the survey measuring sleep and screen use for the first time.

Teenagers suffering psychological distress were three times more likely to report less than six hours of sleep per night than other teens, and twice as likely to report they were doing no exercise.

National medical guidelines recommend eight to 10 hours of sleep, at least an hour of exercise and no more than two hours of recreational screen time per day for teenagers.

But one in three teens in psychological distress spend more than nine hours a day on screens, compared to 20 per cent of other teenagers.

The survey suggests that kids cooped up during lockdowns are spending more time on laptops for school, or online for social media, gaming or watching TV.

Mission Australia CEO James Toomey. Picture: Luke Bowden

Anxiety or depression affected 34 per cent of teenage girls and 15 per cent of boys in 2020.

Body image was of great concern to two-thirds of those girls, compared to one-third of the boys.

Girls were also more likely to worry about schooling – 57 per cent of girls compared to 43 per cent of boys – with one NSW teen describing “the extreme stress placed on high school students by the flawed education system’’.

Just over half the boys were concerned about mental health, compared to 72 per cent of girls.

Boys also found it easier to cope with stress, with 60 per cent stating stress was a problem, compared to 78 per cent of girls.

Drugs, alcohol and gambling were a bigger concern for boys than girls.

Black Dog Institute director of research Professor Jennie Hudson said 75 per cent of mental health issues develop before the age of 25, and “this can have lifelong consequences’’.

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WHAT TEENAGERS TOLD MISSION AUSTRALIA

MENTAL HEALTH

“Teachers, even though they ‘appear’ to offer help, they are severely underprepared in helping students with mental health issues, or are unwilling to do so.’’ – 17-year-old girl, NSW.

“My mental health was unstable so I tended to act without thinking sometimes and I ended up causing a fuss in my old school.’’ – 16-year-old girl, Victoria

“I have been judged for leaving home and treated like a scumbag.’’ – 17-year-old girl, Victoria.

FAMILY VIOLENCE

“I had to flee home because of ongoing family violence. Severe mental health issues stemming from that have been affecting my studies. I’m usually an academic person and I want to get into university. I worry that my grades will now be too low for my course and that without family support I won’t be financially able to complete university with just my Centrelink benefits or a job.’’ – 17-year-old girl, Victoria.

MONEY WORRIES

“Paying for psychologists is so expensive and I feel like my (mental health) plan runs out I can’t afford to keep going.’’ – 18-year-old girl, Tasmania.

SCHOOL STRESS

“My mental health (is) worsened by the extreme stress placed on high school students by the flawed education system.’’ – 17-year-old girl, NSW.

“(My biggest concern is) coping with depression and anxiety and managing my mental health on my own with little to no support from friends and family. School stress has also been an issue.’’ – 17-year-old boy, NSW.

“(My biggest concern is) my mental health and keeping up with school. This has definitely been one of my hardest years at school, not necessarily because of the work but because of my mental health issues. Issues with my mental wellbeing has interfered with ability to do as well as I had hoped and at times just makes me feel more discouraged to continue even trying to do school.’’ – 16-year-old girl, South Australia.