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released: 4 Aug 1999

Focuses on depression and builds on the data and trends provided in the First Report on National Health Priority Areas. It provides an overview of mental health, summarises the current status of mental health activity in Australia and proposes a framework for future collaborative action between all stakeholders. This is one in a series of biennial reports to Australian Health Ministers on each of the five National Health Priority Areas (NHPAs). It is part of a process that involves various levels of government and draws upon expert advice from non-government sources, with the primary goal of improving the health of Australians.

ISBN 978 0 642 39406 4; Cat. no. PHE 11; 185pp.; OUT OF PRINT

Full publication

Publication table of contents

  • Preliminary material (45K PDF)
    • Title page and verso
    • Contents
    • List of tables and figures
    • Contributors and acknowledgements
    • Executive summary
    • Introduction
  • Chapters
    1. Overview of mental health (113K PDF)
      1. Defining mental health
      2. Measuring mental health
      3. Mental health problems and mental disorders
      4. Measuring the prevalence of mental disorders
      5. Prevalence of mental disorders in Australia
      6. Health care utilisation
      7. Distribution of mental health providers
      8. Consumers of mental health services
      9. Mortality
      10. Comorbidity
      11. Mental health and disability
      12. Costs of mental disorders
      13. Depression as a focus area
    2. Profile of depression in Australia (69K PDF)
      1. Definitions and diagnosis of depression
      2. Risk and protective factors
      3. Depression and related disorders
      4. The course of depression across the lifespan
      5. Depression in specific population groups
      6. Impact of depression
      7. Depression research in Australia
    3. Depression indicators (15K PDF)
      1. List of NHPA indicators
      2. Trend spotting: indicator-based summary statistics
    4. Prevention and management of depression (82K PDF)
      1. Promotion, prevention and early intervention
      2. Management of depressive symptoms and disorders
      3. Issues for prevention and management in special population groups
      4. Barriers to prevention and management
    5. Current initiatives relating to depression (71K PDF)
      1. Promotion, prevention and community education
      2. Early intervention
      3. Management and treatment
      4. Evaluation and monitoring
    6. Opportunities and future directions (54K PDF)
      1. Promotion and prevention
      2. Early intervention, treatment and management
      3. Research issues
      4. National Depression Action Plan
      5. The next NHPA report on mental health
  • End matter (144K PDF)
    • Appendixes
      • Appendix 1: Depression in Australia: indicator-based reporting
      • Appendix 2: Data and statistical issues
      • Appendix 3: Framework for a three-year plan developed at the National Workshop on Depression, November 1997
    • Acronyms and abbreviations
    • Glossary of terms
    • References

A summary report is also available online (68K PDF).

Recommended citation

Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care & AIHW 1999. NHPA report on mental health 1998: a report focusing on depression. Cat. no. PHE 11. Canberra: AIHW.