Examining the prevalence and profile of depression, anxiety and stress in an Australian clinical setting

Depression, anxiety, and stress are mental health problems that negatively affect individuals' quality of life. This study aims to evaluate the prevalence and profile of depression, anxiety, and stress based on clinical archival data collected in 10 years, and encompassing 490 Australian based sample, aging from 17 to 77 years old. Patients were assessed with in-take forms and DASS which measured depression, anxiety, and stress levels of individuals. In this study, 281 (57.3%) of the participants were female and 209 (42.7%) were male. In the dataset, the prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress was found to be unusually high. It was identified that people who are being under the age of 50, having children, having a previous history of depression, having a low socio-economic condition, being from an Eastern Mediterranean culture, having a low level of education and occupation and believing in Christianity or Islam are more likely to experience severe or extremely severe levels of depression. In anxiety, results showed that being a female, having a previous history of depression, having a low level of education and occupation, being from an Eastern Mediterranean culture and believing in Christianity or Islam, increased probability of experiencing severe or extremely severe anxiety symptoms. Lastly, stress results indicated that being married, having a previous history of depression, having a low education and occupation levels and being non-religious made individuals become more likely to experience severe or extremely severe levels of stress. Results of the present study can be partially supported by the literature review. It is concluded that the prevalence and profile of depression, anxiety and stress can be obtained because demographic factors are related to mental health problems. Both prevalence and profile provide an understanding of the burden of these diseases, and support the provision of health services like therapy, and counselling. Keywords: Anxiety, Australia, clinical archive, depression, prevalence, stress