Almost one in five Australians have experienced a mental health
disorder during their lives, with general practitioners being the
main providers for people dealing with problems such as depression,
according to a report released today by the Australian Institute of
Health and Welfare (AIHW).
Mental Health Services in Australia 2001-02 shows that
10.1 million GP consultations a year are for mental health related
problems, with 3.4 million of those visits being specifically for
the treatment and management of depression.
Head of AIHW's Hospital and Mental Health Services Unit, Ms
Jenny Hargreaves, said that GPs are seeing women (60%) more than
men for depressive illnesses, and that help for depression was most
commonly sought by patients between 25 and 44 years of age.
The report shows an increase in the total number of mental
health related hospital stays with a principal diagnosis of
depression, from 58,682 in 1998-99 to 68,450 in 2001-02, with 86%
of this increase occurring in private hospitals.
Mental health-related medications accounted for 15.8 million GP
prescriptions, or 11% of all GP prescriptions. Private
psychiatrists issued 1.7 million prescriptions for mental health
related medications for the same period.
'More than half (59%) of the total mental health-related
medications prescribed by GPs and private psychiatrists were for
antidepressants,' Ms Hargreaves said.
The report indicates that there were over 4.2 million service
contacts between patients and hospital outpatient clinics and
community-based mental health services in 2001-02, with
schizophrenia and delusional disorders being commonly treated.
There were slightly more service contacts for male (50.5%) than for
female patients.
In 2001-02, there were 187,043 mental health-related admissions
to public and private hospitals in Australia, of which 52% were for
female patients. This compares with 182,981 mental health-related
hospital admissions in 1998-99.
Public hospitals dealt most commonly with affective disorders,
such as depression, and schizophrenia. Private hospitals primarily
treated cases of affective disorders and neurotic and
stress-related disorders.
The average length of stay for hospital admissions was 10 days
in public acute hospitals and 16 days in private hospitals.
Mental Health Services in Australia 2001-02 was supported by the
Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing and state and
territory health departments.
30 April 2004
Further information: Ms Jenny Hargreaves, AIHW,
0407 012 520 (mobile).
For media copies of the report: Publications
Officer, AIHW, tel. 02 6244 1032
Availability: Check the AIHW
Publications Catalogue for availability of Mental Health
Services in Australia 2001-02 - April 2004