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The impact of mental illness within the Australian population has become increasingly apparent. The 1997 National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing by the Australian Bureau of Statistics [External link] found that 18% of adults in the community had a mental disorder in the twelve months prior to the survey. The Burden of Disease and Injury in Australia study indicated that mental disorders constitute the leading cause of disability burden in Australia, accounting for an estimated 24% of the total years lost due to disability.

The AIHW collects and reports on national mental health care data, detailing the activity and characteristics of mental health care services in Australia. Data on mental health-related care are published annually in the Mental Health Services in Australia series. The AIHW also analyses and reports population-based information, including the prevalence and burden of mental health disorders within Australia. The AIHW collection and reporting processes have been developed to address the information needs identified in the National Mental Health Strategy [External link] and National Health Priority Areas.

Mental Health Services in Australia publication series

The latest issue of Mental Health Services in Australia is:

Previous issues are:

The current report also contains some data from the year following the date of the report to ensure that the most up-to-date data is available. A table has been provided that contains information on data in Mental health services in Australia reports from 1999-2000 for years that differ from the year of the report. This table will enable users to find the specific data they require in the appropriate year's report. The table can be found here. 

Within the Institute, the analysis and reporting of mental health-related population information and mental health care service information rests with the Mental Health Services Unit.

A number of other AIHW units and collaborating units also report mental health-related data from their data collections. For example, the Expenditure and Economics Unit has released a working paper (245K PDF) comparing the expenditure on mental health disorders in Australia for 1993-94 with the expenditure of the United States of America, the Netherlands and Canada.