Australians with mental health problems receive care from a
range of health care services, including general practice
surgeries, community-based mental health facilities, hospitals and
private psychiatrists, according to a new report released today by
the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).
Mental Health Services in Australia 2002-03 shows that,
in terms of patient encounters, general practitioners continue to
be the main providers for people dealing with mental health
problems, with over 10 million GP consultations a year for mental
health related conditions-with depression accounting for about
one-third of mental health problems being managed.
The next most frequently managed condition in GP surgeries was
anxiety-related and physical disturbances (mainly sleep
disturbance).
There were almost 4.7 million service contacts between patients
and community-based mental health services and hospital outpatient
clinics reported in 2002-03. The most common condition treated in
these facilities was schizophrenia, followed by depression.
There were around 2 million visits to private psychiatrists. The
number of psychiatrist attendances has been falling slightly each
year for the last five years.
Report co-author Gail Weaving said information on conditions
treated by psychiatrists is not available, but it was worth noting
that, as with general practitioners, psychiatrists prescribed
antidepressants more frequently than any other type of mental
health related medication.
'Antidepressants comprised 54.6% of medications prescribed by
psychiatrists, and 59.9% of mental health related medications
prescribed by GPs,' Ms Weaving said.
'In total, about 20 million mental health related medications
were prescribed by psychiatrists and GPs combined.'
The report shows that there were over 192,000 mental health
related hospital admissions in 2002-03.
Although the total number of hospital admissions remained fairly
stable between 1998-99 and 2002-03 (with an overall increase of 5%
over the 4 years), the number of admissions to public psychiatric
hospitals in that time has fallen 24% to 14,570. Mental
health-related admissions to public acute hospitals rose by more
than 11% over the 4 years (to 140,435 admissions), and admissions
to private hospitals fluctuated around 37,000 each year.
25 February 2005
Further information: Ms Gail Weaving, AIHW,
tel. 02 6244 1050 or mobile 0407 915 851.
For media copies of the report: Publications
Officer, tel. 02 6244 1032.
Availability: Check the AIHW Publications
Catalogue for availability of Mental Health Services in
Australia 2002-03, February 2005.