Mental health
Recent releases
Mental health services in Australia 2005-06 (6 August 2008) (media release and publication)
Mental health services in Australia 2004-05 (27 April 2007) (media release and publication)
Popular titles
 Australia's health 2008 |
 Australia's welfare 2007 |
The impact of mental illness within the Australian population has become increasingly apparent. The 2007 National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics [External link] found that an estimated 3.2 million Australians (20% of the population aged between 16 and 85) 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 current report also contains some data from the year following the date of the report to ensure that the most up-to-date data are available. This table shows which year's data appears in which year's publication for each of the data sources used.
Within the Institute, the responsibility for 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.