This report explores rates and trends of psychological distress in young Australians, the concerns of young people that may be associated with high levels of psychological distress, and their help seeking behaviour. It draws on five years of data from Mission Australia's annual youth survey of young people aged 15-19 years old. In the latest survey, from 2016, just under one in four young people met the criteria for having a probable serious mental illness - with females and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders particularly at risk. Each survey asks respondents to name their top three concerns - for young people meeting the criteria for a probable serious mental illness, these concerns were coping with stress, school or study problems, and depression. The report concludes with recommendations for health policy and service delivery.

This report explores how mental illness and homelessness in young people are related, following on from separate studies into these issues that drew on Mission Australia's Youth Survey 2015. Sections include: Mental illness and time spent away from home; Family functioning, mental illness and spending time away from home; Implications for policy and practice; and Recommendations for government. The report demonstrates the strong links between youth homelessness, mental illness and family functioning among 15-19 year olds, revealing that having a probable serious mental illness increased the likelihood that a young person had spent time away from home because they felt they couldn't go back, and the likelihood that a young person would spend more occasions away from home also increased if they had a probable serious mental illness.