One in three young Canberrans at risk of serious mental illness, report finds

Psychological distress is affecting more Australians than five years ago, new research by Mission Australia and the Black Dog Institute found.

The report to be released on Wednesday found 33 per cent of the 500 Canberrans surveyed, aged 15-19, met the criteria for a serious mental illness. This was 10 per cent higher than the national average.

Female Canberrans were almost twice as likely as males to report high psychological distress.

The Five Year Mental Health Youth Report revealed long-term trends of mental illness experienced by young Australians.

The most common issues for young Canberrans who met the criteria for serious mental illness were stress, depression and body image.

A widely-used mental health measure, the Kessler 6, was used to record the experience of anxiety and depressive symptoms during the past four weeks and determine the participant's risk of developing mental illness.

Mission Australia ACT and Southern NSW director Ben Carblis said more early intervention measures were needed to target the mental health crisis in the ACT.

"The growth of serious mental illness, which we are seeing across the country and believe is consistent with the ACT, is significant," he said.

"It is urgent that we tap into early intervention and prevention programs in the ACT so that we have an option to decrease this. The problems were are seeing lead to anxiety, depression, addiction and in some cases suicide, and the situation is tragically getting worse."

The ACT government set up an Office of Mental Health as youth groups called for the assembly to implement the findings of an inquiry into youth suicide rates and self-harm last year.

A major assessment of Canberra's demand for mental health services, including the need for more suicide prevention services, will be one of the key initial tasks of the new office. The territory's first mental health minister, Shane Rattenbury, will also install 20 new school-based pyschologists and bolster community-based youth counselling.

But Mr Carblis said young people needed more encouragement to seek psychologists' help. The report showed most Canberrans turned to personal support networks and even the internet before professional mental health services.

He called for a stronger focus on mental illness prevention in Canberra schools, including investment in evidence-based programs for students and teachers.

"Given these concerning findings, we are urging governments to consider how they can invest further in supporting youth mental health in the long term to reduce these concerning figures," he said.

"We must work together to ensure young people have the resources they need to manage mental health difficulties, whether it is for themselves or for their peers.

"Parents, schools and community all play a vital role we must ensure they are fully equipped with the knowledge and skills to provide effective support to young people."

Noting the significantly higher reported rate of psychological distress by females than males, Mr Carblis acknowledged the Kessler 6 did not measure mental health issues more common for men, including schizophrenia and substance abuse.

Black Dog Institute director, Professor Helen Christensen, was concerned stigma around mental health left young people fearful to seek professional help and therefore turn to unreliable, unqualified internet sources.

"While technology can be a lifeline, e-mental health interventions must be evidence-based and tailored to support young people's individual needs," Professor Christensen said.

"More investment is needed to drive a proactive and united approach to delivering new mental health programs which resonate with young people, and to better integrate these initiatives across schools and the health system to help young people on a path to a mentally healthier future."

Mental health minister Shane Rattenbury said the ACT government was aware of the need to improve mental health services for young people, and was working to reduce the stigma around asking for mental health support.