Today, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW)
released the latest in its series of comprehensive annual reports
on mental health services in Australia.
The report, Mental Health Services in Australia 2003-04,
includes details of care provided by community mental health
services, hospitals, general practitioners and private
psychiatrists. It also includes information on mental
health-related disability support services and supported
accommodation services.
It shows that there were over 4.9 million mental health service
contacts in community-based mental health services and public
hospital outpatient clinics in 2003-04 and that there were more
service contacts for male (51.7%) than for female patients.
'There were 256 service contacts per 1,000 people for men,
compared with 226 for women' said Ms Jenny Hargreaves, Head of
AIHW's Hospitals and Mental Health Services Unit.
Between 1999-2000 and 2003-04, the number of mental
health-related hospital separations increased at an average annual
rate of just over 2.0%, to 197,712. Separations from public acute
and private hospitals increased by 12.0% to 144,129 and by 4.5% to
38,347 separations respectively over this period, while separations
from public psychiatric hospitals decreased by 5.3% to 15,236.
The pattern of mental health-related hospital separations
differed according to where the patient usually resided.
'For patients who received specialised psychiatric care while
hospitalised, the number of separations per 1,000 people was
highest for those living in major cities (5.9) and lowest for those
living in remote areas (2.7).
'The opposite was true for patients who did not receive
specialised psychiatric care when hospitalised for mental
health-related care. The number of separations per 1,000 people was
highest for patients living in remote areas (8.0) and lowest for
those living in major cities (3.4). These patterns may reflect
differing roles of hospital and non-hospital care, and/or differing
needs for care in different parts of the country,' Ms Hargreaves
said.
Principal diagnoses of schizophrenia accounted for the highest
number of hospital separations with specialised psychiatric care
(19.0%), followed by depressive episode (16.6%).
For patients who did not receive specialised psychiatric care
the most common principal diagnosis was mental and behavioural
disorders due to use of alcohol (17.3%), followed by depressive
episode (13.8%).
In 2003, there were an estimated 2,810 full-time equivalent
psychiatrists (including psychiatrists in training) - 14.1 per
100,000 people, and there were an estimated 12,883 mental health
nurses - 64.8 per 100,000 people.
Major cities had a relatively high number of full time
equivalent psychiatrists and mental health nurses per 100,000
people (18.5 and 65.7 respectively) while remote and very remote
areas had the fewest (2.5 and 12.7 respectively).
21 December 2005
Further information: Ms Jenny Hargreaves, AIHW,
Mobile: 0407 012 520.
For media copies of the report: Publications
Officer, AIHW, tel 61 2 6244 1032.
Availability: Check the AIHW Publications
Catalogue for availability of the Mental Health Services in
Australia 2003-04 report.