Anxiety & Mood Disorders in Australia: Prevalence & Comorbidity with Eating Disorders

Anxiety Disorders

  • Prevalence: Around 17.2% of Australians aged 16–85 experienced an anxiety disorder between 2020 and 2022, making it the most common mental health category (ABS, 2020–2022, Australian Bureau of Statistics+1).

  • Increasing burden: Anxiety disorders accounted for 3.9% of Australia’s total disease burden in 2024, surpassing depressive disorders and eating disorders in impact(AIHW, 2024, AIHW).

  • Examples of Anxiety disorders can include: Social Anxiety, Generalised Anxiety, Agorophobia, Panic Disorder, and Obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Mood Disorders

  • Prevalence & Impact: Depressive (affective) disorders are also highly common and represent a significant part of Australia’s mental health landscape(AIHW overview, AIHW).

  • Rising trend: Mood and anxiety disorders have both increased in prevalence over recent years, especially among young adults (Epidemiology report, SAGE Journals).

  • Examples include: Major Depressive Disorder and Bipolar Affective Disorder.

Comorbidity with Eating Disorders

  • In people with eating disorders; up to 62% also experience an anxiety disorder, and up to 54% experience a comorbid mood disorder (Rapid Review, Australia, Eating Disorders Research).

  • Specific anxiety subtypes: In a study of women treated for eating disorders:

    • 65% had a comorbid anxiety disorder

Why This Matters

Understanding the overlap between anxiety, mood disorders, and eating disorders is crucial for both treatment and recovery outcomes. Many people don’t experience just one diagnosis; symptoms often interact, reinforce, and complicate each other.

  • Safety & accessibility: If anxiety or depression is left untreated, recovery from an eating disorder becomes harder. Addressing all conditions together ensures therapy is safe, inclusive, and tailored.

  • Destigmatising care: Many clients blame themselves for having “too many issues.” Knowing that comorbidity is common reduces shame and fosters compassion.

  • Early intervention: Awareness of prevalence helps families, schools, and health professionals recognise risk factors sooner and seek support earlier.

  • Holistic recovery: At recoverED Clinic, we believe in treating the whole person, not just symptoms. That means recognising the role of anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, or OCD alongside body image struggles, and creating care pathways that honour individual experiences.

This matters because recovery isn’t about eliminating one diagnosis at a time, it’s about empowering people to rebuild a life beyond mental health labels, with support that is inclusive, compassionate, and evidence-based.

Comorbidity in People with Eating Disorders