The mental health of young men is declining

13-Oct-2026

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Earlier this year, the federal government reported on a wide range of data showing that the mental health of young men has deteriorated since 2012. Between 2012 and 2022, the number of men aged 15 to 24 who self-reported mood disorders increased from 11 per cent to 16 per cent, while self-reported generalized anxiety disorders increased from four per cent to 10 per cent.

Those who reported their mental health as "very good" or "excellent" plummeted from 70 per cent to 52 per cent in that same time period.

A separate report shows that men are three times as likely as women to kill themselves and that it's the second-leading cause of death in boys aged 15 to 34 (after unintentional injuries).

Research implicates a variety of factors in men’s depression, most prominently social isolation, social media use and online sports betting.