Spring is Time for Lipstick!

1 in 2 Australian women are currently experiencing a mental health issue

Summary: Lipstick can be the finishing touch before rushing out the door. It’s a quick signal to the world that we’re ready and everything is fine. But research is telling another story. Half of us are experiencing mental health issues. One in four of us are definitely not okay. Liptember uses bright lipstick to draw attention to the anxiety, depression, exhaustion, and other experiences beneath the surface.

Here on the Central Coast, it is easy to assume that sunshine, beaches, and a close community should make us feel well. But mental health does not depend on having a beautiful place to live. Women in our community may be experiencing anxiety, depression, trauma, loneliness, financial pressure, or emotional exhaustion while continuing to care for everyone around them.

This Liptember, let the lipstick mean something different: not “I’m fine”, but “women’s mental health deserves to be seen”.

What is Liptember?

Liptember is an Australian campaign held every September. People wear bright lipstick, fundraise, and start conversations about women’s mental health.

The campaign is run by Women’s Mental Health Australia and funds research, education, advocacy and awareness. You don’t need to wear lipstick to participate. Checking in with someone—or honestly considering how you feel—also matters.

What was the research?

The figures come from the Liptember Foundation’s 2024 Women’s Mental Health Research Report, Uncovering the Reality: Examining Multi-dimensional Aspects of Women’s Mental Health in Australia.

A 20-minute online survey was conducted in February 2024. It included 6,559 Australians aged 14 and over from every state and region.

Key findings

• 1 in 2 Australian women aged 14 and over was currently experiencing a mental health issue.
• 46% experienced depression.
• 41% experienced anxiety or generalised anxiety disorder.
• 29% experienced body-image issues.
• 16% experienced psychological distress.
• 14% experienced post-traumatic stress disorder.
• Only 48% of women experiencing a mental health issue had sought help.
• 40% of working women said work demands had negatively affected their mental health during the previous 12 months.

Research link: Read the complete 2024 Women’s Mental Health Research Report

Why women’s mental health?

Mental health matters for everyone. A specific focus on women is needed because:

• Women experience some mental health conditions, including anxiety, depression and eating disorders, at higher rates.
• Menstruation, pregnancy, birth, perimenopause and menopause can affect mental health.
• Women often carry a greater share of unpaid caring, household work and the family mental load.
• Financial inequality, insecure work and housing pressure can intensify mental health issues.
• Women experience family, domestic and sexual violence at disproportionately high rates.
• Women’s symptoms have historically been under-researched, misunderstood or dismissed as stress or just hormones.

Focusing on women does not mean other people’s mental health matters less. It helps address longstanding gaps in how women’s experiences are researched, recognised and treated.

Why has women’s mental health been overlooked?

For a long time, women’s bodies and lives were not adequately represented in medical research. The effects of menstruation, pregnancy, birth, perimenopause and menopause were poorly understood, while symptoms could be dismissed as ‘just hormones’, stress or something women were expected to endure.

Mental health was also frequently treated as an individual problem, without enough attention to women’s caring loads, financial inequality, discrimination, or experiences of violence and trauma. We now understand that biology, life stage and social circumstances can interact—and that women need research and care designed with these realities in mind.

This is why gender-informed mental healthcare matters. It is not about giving women special treatment. It is about closing longstanding gaps so they receive appropriate treatment.

What can make mental health issues worse?

Mental health is not simply about being more resilient. It is shaped by our bodies, relationships, circumstances and access to support.

Chronic illness, pain, poor sleep, grief, loneliness, caring responsibilities, workplace pressure, financial stress, discrimination, housing insecurity and family or sexual violence can all intensify mental health issues.

Women’s Mental Health Australia is advocating for gender-informed research, better training for health professionals, more affordable care and a stronger focus on prevention. Its goal is a system created with women, for women and before crisis occurs.

Make one conversation count

Living near beaches and bushland does not make Central Coast women immune to anxiety, depression, trauma or emotional exhaustion.

This Liptember, let the lipstick mean something different: not “I’m fine”, but “women’s mental health deserves to be seen.”

If you haven’t felt like yourself lately, consider beginning with one conversation. Your GP can listen, consider your physical and mental health together, and help you find an appropriate way forward.

If you need immediate support, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or the NSW Mental Health Line on 1800 011 511. Call 000 if life is in danger.

References

• Liptember
• Women’s Mental Health Australia
• Australian Institute of Health and Welfare – The health of women in Australia
• NSW Health – Mental Health Line

FAQ about Liptember

---

This article provides general information only and is not a substitute for individual medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please make an appointment with your GP for personal medical advice.