This edition looks at the findings of report from The George Institute for Global Health in partnership with the Liptember Foundation, Australia’s leading organisation dedicated to advancing women’s mental health. The study, Beyond the Surface 2024, reveals that rates of poor mental health among Australian women remain alarmingly high. More than half report symptoms of depression, and nearly as many struggle with anxiety. For younger women, pressures around body image have climbed sharply, while Indigenous women are experiencing disproportionately high levels of PTSD.

These findings highlight not only the personal toll of poor mental health, but also the systemic barriers that prevent many women from getting the care they need — whether that’s the cost of treatment, stigma, or a healthcare system that isn’t always designed with women in mind.

To help us unpack this, Graham Wilson talks with Professor Bronwyn Graham, lead researcher and mental health expert at The George Institute for Global Health where she is Director of the Centre for Sex and Gender Equity in Health and Medicine, and a Professor in the School of Psychology at UNSW Sydney.

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