AIHW mental health-related reports

Mental health services—in brief 2011 provides an overview on the characteristics and activity of Australia's mental health services, the availability of mental health resources, and the changes that have occurred in these over time. It is designed to accompany the more comprehensive data on Australia's mental health services available online at http://mhsa.aihw.gov.au .

Mental Health Services in Australia 2007-08 is the twelfth in the series of annual reports providing a detailed picture of the national response to the mental health care needs of Australians. Details from a wide range of data sources for the 2007-08 period, and where available 2008-09, are presented, as are changes over time. Expenditure on state and territory mental health services has been increasing on average by 6% per year (adjusted for inflation) since 2003-04, states and territories spent $3,323 million on these services in 2007-08. There were 4.6 million Medicare claims for subsidised psychiatrist, psychologist and other allied health professional services in 2008-09, an increase of 17.4% from the previous year.

Mental health services in Australia 2006-07 is the eleventh in the series of AIHW's comprehensive annual reports on the characteristics and activity of Australia's mental health services, and the availability of mental health resources. Details from a wide range of data sources for the 2006-07 period, and where available 2007-08, are presented, as are changes over time. Expenditure on state and territory mental health services increased by an annual average of 5.6% (adjusted for inflation) between 2002-03 and 2006-07, to $3,040 million. In 2007-08 there were 20 million mental health-related prescriptions subsidised by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (and for veterans), accounting for just over one in ten of all prescription claims, costing over $700 million.

Mental health services in Australia 2005-06 is the ninth in the series of AIHW's comprehensive annual reports on the characteristics and activity of Australia's mental health services. Details from a wide range of data sources for the 2005-06 period are presented, together with changes over time. Information on mental health care provided by a range of services is detailed. Included are ambulatory services (such as community-based services, emergency departments, private psychiatrists, allied health professionals and general practitioners), hospital and residential services and other services (such as supported accommodation services). In addition, information is provided on mental health-related prescriptions and mental health resources such as facilities, workforce and expenditure. Where possible, comprehensive data are provided for each state and territory, and comparisons are made between population groups (including Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, and overseas-born and Australian-born people). This report is a useful resource for health planners, policy makers, administrators, practitioners, researchers and others with an interest in mental health in Australia.

'Mental health services in Australia 2004-05' is the eighth in the series of AIHW's comprehensive annual reports on the characteristics and activity of Australia's mental health services. Details from a wide range of data sources for the 2004-05 period are presented, as are changes over time. Information on mental health care provided by a range of services--including ambulatory services (such as community-based services, emergency departments, private psychiatrists and general practitioners), hospital and residential services, and other services (such as supported accommodation services)--is detailed. In addition, information is provided on mental health-related prescriptions, and mental health resources such as facilities, workforce and expenditure. Where possible, comprehensive data are provided for each state and territory, and comparisons are made between population groups (including Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, and overseas-born and Australian-born people). This report is a useful resource for health planners, policy makers, administrators, practitioners, researchers and others with an interest in mental health in Australia.

This is a detailed report on Australia's mental health services which includes a wide range of data to provide a picture of the range of mental health-related services provided in the health and community services sectors. Included for the first time is information on mental health-related supported accommodation services from the AIHW's Supported Accommodation Assistance Program National Data Collection.

The report presents the Institute's most comprehensive evaluation to date of the data collected for the National Minimum Data Set for Admitted Patient Mental Health Care. The evaluation assesses the quality and utility of the data set to determine its suitability as to current requirements and to identify changes required to improve data quality and comparability. Detailed information is presented on the data provided for each data element and the extent to which these data are provided in accordance with specifications published in the National Health Data Dictionary. This report is a useful resource for health information managers, researchers, state and territory data providers and all users of data based on this National Minimum Data Set.

Mental health services in Australia 2002-03 describes the characteristics and activity of Australia's mental health services including ambulatory and residential mental health-related care provided by hospitals, community-based services, general practitioners, private psychiatrists and some disability support services. Information on the broad trends in mental health care is presented in an easy-to-use summary. Detailed statistics show the hospital care of patients admitted with a mental health-related diagnosis, the services, beds, staffing and expenditure in psychiatric hospitals and community-based services, and mental health-related medications prescribed by general practitioners and private psychiatrists. A special theme chapter has been included which presents an overview of the available data on the mental health care of people with schizophrenia.

Mental Health Services in Australia 2001-02 describes the characteristics and activity of Australia's mental health services including ambulatory and residential mental health-related care provided by hospitals, community-based services, general practitioners, private psychiatrists and some disability support services. Information on the broad trends in mental health care is presented in an easy-to-use summary. Detailed statistics show the hospital care of patients admitted with a mental health-related diagnosis, the services, beds, staffing and expenditure in psychiatric hospitals and community-based services, and mental health-related medications prescribed by general practitioners and private psychiatrists. A special theme chapter has been included for the first time, presenting an overview of the available data on the mental health care of people with depression.

Current until 25 March 2005. The purpose of this paper is to present findings of the review of the first year of collection of the National Community Mental Health Care Database (NCMHCD), which is supplied to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) under the specifications of the National Minimum Data Set (NMDS) for Community Mental Health Care.

This release includes up to 20 years of weekly health service use data by Statistical Area Level 4 geography. It includes data relevant to respiratory, cardiovascular, and mental health conditions, as well as other health conditions. The report includes data and visualisations on:

• hospitalisations
• emergency department presentations
• Medicare Benefits Schedule service claims
• Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and Repatriation Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme prescriptions dispensed.

This paper explores the evidence for digital mental health tools, specifically web-based tools or mobile phone apps, for First Nations people. It highlights benefits of these resources, examples of best practice in their development, alongside barriers and challenges to their use. 

[Summary PDF | 2.44MB]

The link between exposure to trauma and increased risk of poor mental health is well established. This paper aims to define the link between intergenerational trauma and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ mental health and to identify current best-practice policies and programs to address this issue.

[Summary PDF | 2.28MB]

Racism and racial discrimination are key determinants of health and wellbeing. This article provides an overview of how racism affects the mental health of Indigenous Australians, their access to care and the policies and programs that address cultural safety in the health system.

[Summary PDF | 2.34MB]

This review provides an overview of available literature about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTQIASB+ people and social and emotional wellbeing. It also includes a comparative analysis of literature about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, LGBTQIA+ people and suicide.

[Summary PDF | 2.28MB]

This report provides essential information and statistics on mental health, suicide and self-harm among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It outlines contemporary Australian policy responses and directions, and risks and protective factors for mental health and suicide prevention. It explores evidence of best practice in mental health and suicide prevention.

People from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds are identified as a priority population in a number of key Australian Government health strategies. This web report is part of a program of work on the health status of CALD people in Australia and presents data on the prevalence of chronic conditions reported by CALD Australians in the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ 2021 Census of Population and Housing.

Food security is considered a fundamental human right. Food insecurity increases psychological distress and compromises physiological wellbeing. This report looks at the extent of food insecurity affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and its effect on mental health and wellbeing, as well as what is being done to address it. It also considers the effectiveness of programs that address this multidimensional issue.

[Summary PDF | 2.29MB]

Australia’s health 2022: data insights is a collection of 10 in-depth articles on selected health topics, including a focus on the health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the evolution of the health system over the last 100 years, and the importance of a strong evidence base for supporting the health of Australians.

Australia’s health 2022 is the 18th biennial health report of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. This edition's full product suite comprises:

• Australia's health 2022: data insights
• Australia’s health: topic summaries
• Australia’s health 2022: in brief.

People experiencing both homelessness and mental health issues are a vulnerable sub-group of SHS clients. Longitudinal SHSC data can be used to provide deeper insights into the experiences of these SHS clients over time.