The number of people in Australia with a psychological disability has increased between 2009 and 2012.

Key results:

At the national level, results from the 2012 SDAC showed that:

• • Of all people with any type of disability, 18.5% had a psychological disability.
  • 3.4% of Australians (770,500 people) reported having a psychological disability, with similar rates for men and women. This was an increase from 2.8% (606,000 people) in 2009.
  • Of those with a psychological disability, just over four in ten reported profound levels of core activity limitation, and a further two in ten severe core activity limitations.

It was also revealed that a wide range of long-term health conditions and impairments coexist with psychological disability:

• • The majority of people who reported a psychological disability reported having one or more other disabling conditions.

When looking at the need for and receipt of assistance, results included:

• • 96% of people with psychological disability reported needing assistance or experiencing difficulty in at least one of the broad activity areas of everyday life.
  • Only 1.8% of people with psychological disability who reported needing assistance did not have their need met at all.