New report confirms our mental health system still isn’t built for women

Psychiatrists say a major new national report has exposed a mental health system that continues to overlook the biological, social and structural factors shaping women’s mental health, despite half of Australian women experiencing mental ill-health.

Research released by Women’s Mental Health Australia found one in two Australian women experienced a mental health issue in 2026, while almost one in four were experiencing severe psychological distress.

It also found nearly one in four women (23%) who sought help but did not find it useful said there were not enough tailored support services available specifically for women.

The findings add to national evidence showing women are disproportionately affected by mental ill-health.

The latest AIHW National Study on Prevalence and Impact of Mental Illness showed twice as many women as men had been diagnosed with a mental illness. Depressive disorder rates have risen among female adolescents while falling among young men, and psychological distress remains higher among women aged 16 to 24 than men of the same age.

The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) said the findings demand a stronger national response, including greater research investment in women’s mental health; action on the social and economic drivers of psychological distress; safe and trauma-informed mental health facilities; culturally safe services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women; and improved access to specialist perinatal mental health care.

RANZCP President Dr Astha Tomar said Australia’s mental health system has a longstanding design flaw: it still does not adequately respond to the needs of half the population.

“Women’s mental health is shaped by biology and life stage, but also by financial insecurity, family and sexual violence, caring responsibilities, discrimination, chronic illness, pain and whether appropriate care is available when it is needed,” Dr Tomar said.

“Yet too much of our research, service planning and infrastructure still treats women’s needs as an afterthought.

“This is particularly concerning for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and other groups who face intersecting disadvantage and disproportionate exposure to the drivers of poor mental health.

“When one in two women is experiencing mental ill-health, and almost a quarter of women who sought help but found it ineffective say tailored services were not available, we have to ask whether the system is genuinely designed around women’s needs.”

Women experiencing poverty or homelessness recorded the highest levels of psychological distress in the report, with 59% likely to be experiencing severe mental health issues. Severe mental ill-health was also reported among 42% of LGBTQIA+ women and 42% of women living with disability.

Financial pressures, low self-esteem, sleep deprivation, work-life pressures, inadequate support, physical illness, chronic pain and inequitable caring responsibilities were among the factors women identified as contributing to poor mental health.

“We need more research into how sex, gender, biology and life stage shape women’s mental health, from perimenopause and perinatal illness to the mental health impact of chronic conditions like endometriosis,” Dr Tomar said.

“But research and clinical services are only part of the response. We cannot improve women’s mental health without addressing poverty, housing insecurity, discrimination, violence and the unequal burden of unpaid caring responsibilities.

“Mental health cannot be separated from the conditions in which women live their lives.”

Domestic, family and sexual violence remain major drivers of poor mental health among women, with victim-survivors at heightened risk of post-traumatic stress disorder, major depressive disorder, suicidality, chronic pain and problematic substance use.

“Women experiencing violence are too often left navigating fragmented systems that treat symptoms without adequately responding to the trauma, danger and instability shaping their mental health,” Dr Tomar said.

“Mental health care must be embedded across the response to domestic, family and sexual violence, from ensuring frontline workers can recognise mental health needs, through to access to publicly funded, specialist and trauma-informed services.

“Referral pathways for victim-survivors must be clear, rapid and connected. Women in crisis should not have to repeatedly tell their story or navigate multiple disconnected systems simply to receive appropriate care.”

Dr Tomar said women should have access to appropriate screening, referral pathways and specialist care across the lifespan.

“Australia needs significantly greater access to specialist perinatal mental health services, including appropriately staffed mother and baby units, regardless of where families live,” she said.

The RANZCP has previously warned that women with histories of violence and trauma may enter mixed-gender inpatient facilities where they may feel unsafe or face the risk of further harm.

“Women should be able to receive mental health care with dignity, privacy and safety,” Dr Tomar said.

“That must be treated as both a fundamental clinical responsibility and a human rights obligation when mental health facilities are designed, built or refurbished.

“This includes access to secure women-only bedrooms, bathrooms and appropriate common areas, particularly for women who have experienced trauma or violence.”

Dr Tomar said the report showed Australia must stop treating women’s mental health as a collection of separate clinical problems.

“Women are telling us that their mental health is inseparable from their physical health, financial security, caring responsibilities, experiences of violence and ability to access safe and appropriate care.

“Our response must be just as connected.

“We need a mental health system that understands women in the context of their whole lives and one which is designed to respond accordingly,” said Dr Tomar.

ENQUIRIES: For more information, or to arrange an interview, call Dishi Gahlowt on +61 437 315 911 or email media@ranzcp.org.

The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists is a membership organisation that prepares medical specialists in the field of psychiatry, supports and enhances clinical practice, advocates for people affected by mental illness and advises governments and other groups on mental health care. For information about our work, our members or our history, visit www.ranzcp.org.

In Australia: If you or someone you know needs help, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or www.lifeline.org.au or the Suicide Callback Service on 1300 659 467 or www.suicidecallbackservice.org.au.

In New Zealand: If you or someone you know needs help, contact Lifeline NZ on 0800 543 354 or www.lifeline.org.nz or the Suicide Crisis Helpline on 0508 828 865 or www.lifeline.org.nz/suicide-prevention.