Psychological distress relating to financial pressure has been increasing over the past four years across Australia, according to Beyond Blue chief executive Georgie Harman. This rising distress is expected to be reflected in the 2026 census results, which mental health experts anticipate will show a significant rise in reported mental health conditions.
The census, taken on Tuesday, marks only the second time Australians were asked to report long-term health issues. In the 2021 census, mental health conditions were the most reported long-term health diagnosis, affecting approximately one in 11 Australians.
The Australian Capital Territory and South Australia reported the highest rates in 2021, with about one in 10 people living with conditions like depression and anxiety. These figures underscore the pervasive reach of the crisis.
Biostatistician Tim Slade from the University of Sydney's Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use expects the latest census to show a further increase. "We have seen an increase in the general population, the whole adult population, in mental health problems," Slade stated.
Slade noted that mental health challenges were already on the rise long before the COVID pandemic. "In terms of mental health challenges… we were seeing a rise in mental health problems long before the COVID pandemic," he explained, adding that "COVID has had an impact on the mental health of the population and particularly among some subgroups."
The Cost of Capital
Harman emphasized the direct link between economic strain and mental well-being. "Money worries and mental health conditions can influence each other," she said, confirming increased demand for immediate support through Beyond Blue's services. This connection highlights how the current economic order, which generates widespread financial precarity, directly contributes to the deteriorating mental health of the working class.
Indications suggest that anxiety and depression symptoms may be getting more severe, according to Harman. This escalation points to a deepening crisis for those struggling under economic duress, a direct consequence of systemic underpayment of labor and the concentration of wealth.
Steph Schmidt, a psychologist and farmer in South Australia's Mid North, affirmed the ongoing nature of the issue. "From what I've seen on the ground, I wouldn't necessarily think that [the prevalence of mental health conditions] is going to have gone down a whole lot in the last couple of years," Schmidt observed, noting its impact on both rural and urban populations.
Managing the Crisis, Not Its Roots
Schmidt also highlighted a critical limitation of the census data: it only captures diagnosed conditions. "It's only capturing those that are diagnosed as well, so it is tricky," she stated, suggesting the true scale of the crisis may be understated. The official figures, therefore, likely present an incomplete picture of the human cost.
Support organizations and experts like Schmidt express hope that census results will inform future resource allocation. "Things like the census and the responses that come through I hope do help inform where some of that money goes and the services that are supported," Schmidt remarked. This approach focuses on managing the symptoms rather than challenging the fundamental economic structures that produce widespread financial pressure.
Harman echoed this sentiment, stating that the data helps "many organisations make sense of what's happening and plan for the future so that the whole community benefits." This framing positions data collection as a tool for managing symptoms rather than confronting the systemic causes of financial pressure and mental distress.
Harman also offered what she called "good news," suggesting that "we can get onto these issues as soon as they start to emerge and take actions that prevent them from snowballing." Such approaches, while providing temporary relief, do not dismantle the economic foundations that generate the distress in the first place, thus extending the life of a system that profits from human suffering.