LGBTQIA+ MYTHS AND MISCONCEPTIONS

Please click on the link for the article by BY ERIC LANGSHUR AND NATE KLEMP PHD

Low self-worth is one of those things almost everyone has heard of, but it’s often misunderstood. It’s not simply “not liking yourself” — it’s a deeper, often quiet belief that you’re somehow not enough: not good enough, not lovable enough, not worthy of good things. This belief can shape how a person thinks, feels, behaves, and connects with others, sometimes without them even realising it’s happening.

This article walks through what low self-worth can look like, how it tends to develop, why it’s not always the explanation for a behaviour it might seem to explain, and what genuinely helps.

What Does Low Self-Worth Actually Look Like?

Low self-worth doesn’t show up in just one way — it tends to ripple across several areas of a person’s life.

In the way someone thinks

• A harsh inner voice that’s quick to blame and slow to forgive
• Black-and-white thinking about their own worth (“I’m a failure” rather than “that didn’t go well”)
• Brushing off compliments or achievements (“I just got lucky”)
• Constantly comparing themselves to others, usually unfavourably

In how someone feels

• A background hum of shame or guilt that isn’t tied to anything specific
• Anxiety in situations where they feel judged or evaluated
• Taking criticism much harder than the moment probably warrants
• Struggling to feel like they deserve good things — joy, rest, success

In how someone behaves

• People-pleasing, and real trouble saying no
• Avoiding challenges for fear of failing in front of others
• Perfectionism, partly as a way to dodge criticism before it happens
• Overcompensating — bragging, chasing status, or over-achieving to cover up insecurity underneath
• Self-sabotage, like procrastinating or quitting before they can “fail properly”
• Over-apologising, even when nothing’s actually their fault

In relationships

• Putting up with disrespectful or unequal treatment
• Needing frequent reassurance from others
• Trouble setting or holding boundaries
• Pulling away from people to avoid the risk of being rejected

Physically

• Guarded body language, poor posture, avoiding eye contact
• Neglecting self-care, sometimes because they don’t feel “worth the effort”

Worth remembering: none of these signs are exclusive to low self-worth. They overlap with anxiety, depression, trauma responses, and other things going on for a person. It’s the overall pattern — and the story underneath it — that matters, not any single item on this list.

Where Does It Come From?

Low self-worth is very often learned rather than something a person is simply born with — which is actually good news, because what’s learned can also be unlearned.

Watching the adults around us Kids learn a lot about how to treat themselves by watching how the important adults in their life treat themselves. A parent who’s constantly self-critical or dismissive of their own needs is teaching a child a template, even without saying a word directly to them.

Love and attention that come with strings attached If approval or affection is only given for achievement, appearance, or good behaviour, a child can learn that their worth depends on ticking boxes — rather than being something they simply have, no strings attached.

Being told directly Repeated criticism, shaming, or put-downs from parents, teachers, or peers get absorbed, especially in childhood before a person has the tools to separate “someone said this about me” from “this is true about me.”

Early relationships with caregivers Inconsistent, neglectful, or dismissive caregiving is strongly linked to a shaky sense of self-worth in adulthood — the underlying logic often being something like, “if the people meant to care for me didn’t, maybe I’m not worth caring for.”

Peers and wider social environments Bullying, exclusion, and highly competitive or comparison-heavy environments — including social media — can teach the same lesson outside the family entirely.

Broader social messaging Cultural narratives around race, gender, body type, class, or ability can also send repeated messages of lesser worth, reinforced across many different settings over time.

Why It’s Not Always the Explanation

It’s tempting, once you’re aware of low self-worth as a concept, to see it everywhere. But plenty of behaviours that look like they’re about self-worth are actually about something else entirely — or several other things at once.

Take a few common examples:

• Substance use can be tangled up with self-worth (numbing shame or a harsh inner critic), but addiction is genuinely shaped by many factors — genetics, brain chemistry, trauma, mental health conditions, and environment all play a real part.
• Having few or no friends might reflect low self-worth (believing you’re not worth others’ time), but it could just as easily be social anxiety, depression, being naturally introverted, or simply preferring one’s own company. The key difference is usually the story underneath — does the person want connection and feel blocked by fear, or is being alone genuinely fine by them?
• Coming across as arrogant or superior is often assumed to be a mask for hidden insecurity — and sometimes it is. But it’s worth being cautious here, because this assumption can become impossible to disprove (“if they’re arrogant, they’re secretly insecure; if they’re humble, that confirms it too”). Sometimes confidence is just confidence.
• Frequent casual sex or a high number of partners doesn’t automatically point to low self-worth either. For many people, this is simply how they’ve chosen to structure their sex life, without any distress or underlying insecurity attached. What matters more is the function the behaviour seems to serve for that particular person — for example, someone who says they need to tell others about their experiences afterward specifically “to feel validated” is giving you a much clearer signal than the behaviour itself would.

The takeaway: self-worth is worth holding as a hypothesis to test with a person, rather than assumed from the outside based on how something looks.

What Actually Helps

If low self-worth is at the heart of things, here’s what tends to make a genuine difference — not overnight, but over time.

1. Notice and challenge the inner critic Pay attention to the specific language your mind uses about you. Often it’s harsher and more sweeping than how you’d ever speak to someone else. Try the “friend test”: would you say this to someone you cared about? If not, that’s a sign of distortion, not truth. It also helps to separate the behaviour from the self — “that didn’t go well” instead of “I’m hopeless.”

2. Loosen the strings attached to your worth Notice what your sense of worth currently depends on — achievement, appearance, being liked, being productive. Then start building small experiences of worth that aren’t tied to those things: resting without earning it, being liked without performing. This is slow, quiet work, but it’s often the real target.

3. Build evidence, not just insight Small, doable actions build a track record of competence over time — self-worth grows partly through lived proof, not just understanding. Avoiding challenges or social situations might feel safer, but it also blocks the very experiences that could prove the harsh self-view wrong.

4. Practise boundaries Struggling to say no, or putting up with poor treatment, is common with low self-worth. Practising small boundaries — even minor ones — can genuinely shift things, not just relieve symptoms temporarily. Pay attention to the fear beforehand versus what actually happens afterward; they’re often quite different.

5. Try self-compassion rather than self-esteem Self-compassion doesn’t require feeling good about yourself — it just means relating to yourself kindly, especially when things are hard. That’s often a far more achievable starting point than trying to force positive self-regard from a standing start. Remembering that struggling is part of being human (not a personal failing) is a big part of this.

6. Pay attention to relationships If low self-worth was shaped by relationships, it often needs relationships to help un-shape it too — this is part of why therapy, and a genuinely supportive relationship, tends to work better than self-help alone. Where possible, it also helps to reduce contact with people or environments that actively reinforce the negative self-view.

7. Shift from approval to values Instead of asking “what will make people think well of me,” try asking “what actually matters to me.” This shift — living by your own values rather than by anticipated approval — reduces the constant self-monitoring that keeps worth tied to outside opinion.

A Final Note

Self-worth work is rarely quick, and it’s rarely a straight line. It’s more like slowly rebuilding a belief system than fixing one single thought. Old patterns will likely resurface here and there — that’s not a sign the work isn’t working, it’s just part of how deeply learned beliefs unwind over time.

If this sounds familiar to you personally, it’s worth having a conversation with a psychologist or therapist — someone who can help you work out what’s underneath the patterns, and support you through actually shifting them.

Across Australian Demographics in Today’s Climate: A Review of Current Statistics and Research | webbtherapy.org | 2025–2026

Introduction

Australia is navigating one of the most psychologically challenging periods in its modern history. Converging social, economic, and political forces — including a cost-of-living crisis, housing unaffordability, the lingering aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, and growing climate anxiety — are placing significant strain on the mental health of people across all age groups and demographics.

According to the National Mental Health Commission’s National Report Card 2024, approximately 3.8 million Australians aged 16 and over — nearly one in five — experienced a mental disorder in the past year, with anxiety and depression the most prevalent conditions (NMHC, 2025). This document draws on the most current Australian research and data to provide a demographic overview of the psychological and emotional issues affecting Australians today.

1. Children & Adolescents (Ages 12–17)

Young Australians are experiencing rising rates of psychological distress at a level that represents a genuine public health emergency. Multiple intersecting pressures — financial insecurity in the home, climate anxiety, social media use, and disruptions to schooling and socialisation — are placing extraordinary demands on developing minds.

Key Statistics

Psychological distress: A 2025 headspace survey of over 3,000 young Australians found that nearly half (49%) were experiencing high or very high levels of psychological distress. Among 12–14 year-olds, the rate was 31%, rising to 65% among 18–25 year-olds (headspace, 2025).

Financial stress: The Mission Australia Youth Survey 2025 found that 64% of young people aged 14–19 identified cost of living as Australia’s most pressing national issue — the highest level since the question was first asked in 2010, and up from 56% in 2024 and 31% in 2023 (Mission Australia, 2025).

Mental health concerns: Two in five young people (39%) reported stress related to their own mental health and wellbeing, and nearly one in five (19%) reported experiencing high psychological distress in the weeks prior to being surveyed (Mission Australia, 2025).

Gender differences: The ABS National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing (2020–22) found that 34.2% of females aged 16–24 reported high or very high psychological distress, compared with 18% of males in the same age group (ABS, 2023).

At-risk subgroups: Distress rates are especially elevated among LGBTIQA+ young people (77%) and First Nations young people (59%) (headspace, 2025).

Contributing Factors

The National Mental Health Commission (2025) identifies multiple drivers of deteriorating youth mental health, including increased financial insecurity, concerns about climate change, shifting social connection patterns — particularly the move to digital interaction over in-person connection — changes in sleep, screen time, and nutrition, and the disproportionate socioeconomic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on young people’s lives.

2. Young Adults (Ages 18–35)

Young adults are among the most psychologically vulnerable groups in Australia at present. They face a unique confluence of pressures: the transition to independent adulthood, entry into an unaffordable housing market, tertiary education debt, precarious employment, and an uncertain political and economic landscape.

Key Statistics

Prevalence: Young adults aged 18–34 report the highest rates of mental health symptoms of any adult age group, with approximately 45% experiencing symptoms in 2025, up from 40% in 2023 (NMHC/AIHW, 2025).

Cost-of-living and mental health: A 2025 Compare the Market survey found that 72% of Gen Z respondents said cost-of-living pressures had worsened or triggered anxiety and depression, impacting their health, sleep and relationships — the highest rate of any age cohort (SBS Insight, 2025).

Housing stress: Australia’s Rental Affordability Index labels all major cities and regional areas as ‘critically unaffordable’ for people on lower incomes. A 2025 longitudinal study tracking more than 10,000 Australian renters found mental health declines sharply once housing costs exceed 30% of income (The Conversation, 2025).

Loneliness: Recent data suggests that 1 in 4 Australian men aged 15–34 report feeling lonely most days (Psychology NSW, 2025).

Emerging Concerns

Social comparison via social media, economic precarity*, and the perceived impossibility of home-ownership are contributing to a pervasive sense of hopelessness and deferred life milestones. Many young adults report anxiety about the future as a core psychological preoccupation.

*Precarity definition: the condition of existence without predictability or security, characterised by instability in employment, income, and social safety nets.

3. Men (All Ages)

Men represent a persistently underserved demographic in mental health. Cultural norms around masculinity continue to suppress help-seeking, while suicide rates among men remain disproportionately high across all age groups. In 2024, men accounted for 76.5% of all suicide deaths in Australia — a ratio that has remained largely unchanged for decades (ABS, 2025; AMHF, 2025).

Key Statistics

Suicide: 3,307 Australians died by suicide in 2024, of whom 2,529 (76.5%) were male. The age-standardised suicide rate for men was 18.7 per 100,000, compared with 5.5 per 100,000 for women. Men aged 40–44 accounted for the largest proportion of male suicide deaths (10.5%) (ABS, 2025; Life in Mind, 2025).

Working-age men: The number of suicides in men of working age (25–64) reached a record high in 2024 (AMHF, 2025), with males aged 60–64 experiencing an 18% increase in age-specific suicide rates from 2023 to 2024 (ABS, 2025).

Help-seeking gap: While men are 3.5 times more likely to die by suicide than women, they make up less than 40% of people seeking mental health support. Research indicates that 1 in 8 Australian men experience depression or anxiety, but fewer than half receive treatment (Psychology NSW, 2025).

High-risk occupations: Suicide rates among male construction workers are approximately double those of other male workers, with an age-standardised rate of 26.6 per 100,000 compared to 13.2 for other male workers (Lancet Regional Health, 2024).

Somatic presentation: Men are more likely to present with physical symptoms of depression and anxiety — chronic headaches, fatigue, back pain — rather than emotional ones, often delaying diagnosis and intervention (Psychology NSW, 2025).

4. Women (All Ages)

Women consistently report higher rates of psychological distress, anxiety, and depression than men. Additional psychological burdens arise from gendered experiences including domestic labour, caregiving, family violence, reproductive health, and workplace inequity.

Key Statistics

Distress rates: In the 2022 National Health Survey, women aged 18 and over were more likely to report high or very high psychological distress than men. Among young women aged 18–25, the rate was 34.2% — the highest of any adult demographic (ABS, 2023; Dharmayani & Mihrshahi, 2025).

Financial stress: 56.6% of millennial women surveyed in 2025 reported that cost-of-living pressures had worsened or triggered anxiety and depression (SBS Insight, 2025). Single mothers and women in casual employment are particularly vulnerable to financial-related mental health impacts.

Suicide: Women aged 25–29 had the highest age-specific female suicide rate (9.8 per 100,000) and accounted for the largest proportion of female suicide deaths (12.3%) in 2024 (Life in Mind, 2025).

Income and distress: Research from Dharmayani and Mihrshahi (2025), using Australian National Health Survey data, found that psychological distress increased as personal weekly income decreased, confirming income insecurity as a significant driver of poor mental health among women.

5. Older Adults (Ages 65+)

Older Australians face a distinct set of psychological challenges shaped by major life transitions — retirement, bereavement, declining health, loss of independence, and changing living arrangements. These experiences, when compounded by social isolation, can have profound effects on mental health.

Key Statistics

Loneliness and social isolation: According to the AIHW (2024), approximately 16% of Australians aged over 65 experience loneliness, and 11% are socially isolated. Research suggests loneliness may increase the risk of premature death to a degree comparable to smoking or obesity (Ausmed, 2026).

Depression in aged care: Approximately 52% of older adults in residential aged care experience depressive symptoms, while 8.2% of community-dwelling older adults experience depression (ScienceDirect, 2021).

Men aged 85+: Older men are at particularly elevated suicide risk. In 2024, males aged over 85 had the highest age-specific suicide rate of any group at 31.2 per 100,000 (Life in Mind, 2025).

Digital exclusion: Australians aged 65 and over remain the least digitally included age group, with an Australian Digital Inclusion Index score of 49.7 compared to the national average of 63.0 (NMHC, 2022). This digital exclusion compounds social isolation, particularly post-pandemic.

Contributing Factors

As identified by Engel and Mihalopoulos (2024) in the Medical Journal of Australia, the ‘loneliness epidemic’ represents a major public health concern in older age. Life transitions including retiring from work, loss of friends and partners, declining physical health, and the move to residential aged care all increase vulnerability to loneliness, depression, and anxiety.

6. Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Peoples

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples experience significantly higher rates of psychological distress and suicide compared to non-Indigenous Australians. These outcomes must be understood within a broader cultural, historical, and social context that includes the ongoing impacts of colonisation, systemic racism, intergenerational trauma, and ongoing barriers to accessing culturally safe services. Mental health in this context is better understood through the framework of social and emotional wellbeing (SEWB), which encompasses connection to Country, family, kinship, community, and culture.

Key Statistics

Psychological distress: In 2022–23, approximately 30% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults experienced high or very high levels of psychological distress in the four weeks prior to interview (ABS, 2024; NMHC, 2025). This is more than double the general population rate of 14% (ABS, 2022).

The role of discrimination: Analysis of the Mayi Kuwayu study (2018–2021) found that 42% of First Nations people experienced high or very high psychological distress; among those experiencing everyday racial discrimination, the rate was 49%, compared with 32% for those who did not report such discrimination (ABS, 2024).

Suicide: In 2024, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people had an age-standardised suicide rate of 33.9 per 100,000 — more than triple the non-Indigenous rate. This rate was 6.5% higher than in 2023. For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men, the rate was 55.1 per 100,000 (Life in Mind, 2025).

Anxiety: Anxiety was the most common mental or behavioural condition reported in the 2022–23 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey, affecting 21% of respondents aged two and over; it was 1.5 times more common among females (25%) than males (17%) (ABS, 2024).

Access to services: Around one in four First Nations people aged 15 and over (26%) would have liked to access mental health support but did not in the 12 months prior to survey, with access barriers particularly pronounced in remote areas (ABS, 2024).

7. LGBTIQA+ People

LGBTIQA+ Australians continue to experience disproportionately poor mental health outcomes compared to their heterosexual and cisgender peers. These outcomes are directly linked to experiences of stigma, prejudice, discrimination, and social exclusion — often described through the lens of minority stress theory. Progress in legal rights does not automatically translate to psychological safety or equitable mental healthcare.

Key Statistics

Mental disorders: People with a diverse sexual identity are three times more likely to be diagnosed with a mental disorder compared to heterosexual people (ABS, 2023).

Self-harm: Trans and gender-diverse Australians are twice as likely to engage in self-harm throughout their lifetime compared to cisgender Australians (ABS, 2023).

Psychological distress in youth: Among young people, LGBTIQA+ respondents reported a distress rate of 77% — significantly above the general youth population rate of 49% — in the Headspace 2025 survey.

Suicidality: Members of the LGBTQIA+ community report suicide attempts at rates up to 10 times higher than the general population (Lifeline, 2025).

Healthcare barriers: In the Private Lives 3 national survey, 57% of LGBTIQ respondents reported being treated unfairly in the past 12 months based on their sexual orientation, and 77.5% of trans and gender-diverse respondents reported being treated unfairly based on their gender identity. Only 43.4% of LGBTIQ respondents felt accepted when accessing health services (AMA, 2024).

Rural/regional compounding: Research published in 2025 found LGBTQ+ people in rural and regional communities experienced compounded psychological harm due to conservative social environments, limited peer connection, and inadequate access to inclusive services (Tandfonline, 2025).

8. Financial Stress as a Cross-Cutting Issue

Economic pressures represent one of the most significant cross-cutting determinants of psychological distress across all Australian demographics. The confluence of rising housing costs, elevated mortgage rates, rental stress, and a persistent cost-of-living gap is affecting people’s mental health in tangible and measurable ways.

Key Statistics

Financial stress prevalence: Close to 7 in 10 Australian households (69%) are dealing with significant financial stress, with 57% struggling to afford household essentials including groceries, utilities, and healthcare (Real Insurance, 2024).

Mental health impact: A 2025 Compare the Market survey found that nearly half of Australians (48.7%) said cost-of-living pressures had worsened or triggered anxiety and depression, affecting their health, sleep, and relationships (SBS Insight, 2025).

Housing stress: In 2024–25, an estimated 1.26 million low-income households were in financial housing stress, spending more than 30% of their disposable income on housing (AIHW, 2025). Almost half (44.5%) of households with a mortgage spent above this threshold (AIHW, 2025).

Skipping healthcare: Almost two-thirds of financially stressed Australians (65%) have skipped essential medical appointments — including mental health appointments — due to cost (Real Insurance, 2024).

Beyond Blue’s Clinical Spokesperson Dr Luke Martin has noted the bidirectional relationship between financial stress and mental health: financial hardship affects mood, cognition, sleep, and relationships, while poor mental health in turn impairs a person’s capacity to manage money and seek help — creating a cycle that is often difficult to escape without external support (HIA, 2026).

9. Summary of Key Themes by Demographic

• Children & Adolescents (12–17): Rising psychological distress (49% high/very high); financial stress at home; social media pressures; climate anxiety; loneliness; academic disruption. Elevated risk for LGBTIQA+ youth (77%) and First Nations youth (59%).
• Young Adults (18–35): Cost-of-living and housing affordability crisis driving anxiety and depression; loneliness; identity and purpose challenges; deferred life milestones; highest mental disorder rates of any adult cohort.
• Men (All Ages): Persistent help-seeking barriers; disproportionately high suicide rates (76.5% of deaths); somatic symptom presentation; high-risk occupations (construction); financial and work-related stress.
• Women (All Ages): Higher distress and anxiety rates; financial vulnerability; caregiving burden; family violence; cost-of-living impacts; elevated suicide risk in young women aged 25–29.
• Older Adults (65+): Loneliness and social isolation; depression; bereavement; loss of independence; digital exclusion; very high suicide risk in men aged 85+.
• Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Peoples: Intergenerational trauma; systemic racism; high distress and suicide rates (33.9 per 100,000); cultural disconnection; access barriers to culturally safe care.
• LGBTIQA+ People: Minority stress; discrimination in healthcare; three-fold increase in mental disorder diagnoses; elevated self-harm and suicidality; rural/regional compounding factors.

Disclaimer

This document has been prepared for informational and professional development purposes. All statistics and research references were current as at April 2026. Data from some primary sources have been collected in prior years; readers are encouraged to consult primary sources for the most current figures. This document does not constitute clinical advice.