LGBTQ Australians experience mental illness at up to three times the rate of the general population, a Monash University study has found. Researchers analysed Australian Bureau of Statistics data from 2020 to 2022.

The study found 58.7 per cent of LGBTQ people had a mental disorder in the previous 12 months, compared with 19.9 per cent of heterosexual Australians. More than half of cisgender non-heterosexual Australians and more than a third of transgender Australians have been diagnosed with a mental disorder.

Psychological distress was up to 3.5 times higher. Anxiety was the most common condition, affecting 50.3 per cent of the LGBTQ population against 15.9 per cent of heterosexual respondents.

Senior researcher Dr Long Le called the findings startling, pointing to stigma, discrimination and barriers to affirming healthcare. LGBTQI+ Health Australia chief Nicky Bath said the community was in a state of crisis on mental health. The researchers hope the evidence will shape future health policy.