This report from the Australian Health Policy Collaboration (AHPC) at Victoria University is the first Australian study to quantify the risks of physical health conditions contributing to a wide range of mental health conditions including anxiety and depression.

Australia’s Mental and Physical Health Tracker, is the latest report card in the Australia’s Health Tracker series, and reveals strong links between chronic physical ill health and mental ill health.

Some revealing statistics from the report show:

• 1.075 million Australians are living with a mental health condition and a circulatory disease such as heart failure or hypertension – Australia’s biggest killer.
• 321,400 Australians are living with diabetes and a mental health condition.
• Almost 960,000 Australians have arthritis and a mental health condition.