Mental health
Admitted patient mental health-related care - National data
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Key points
In 2023–24:
A separate section focusing on state and territory data can be found on the following page - State and territory admitted patients.
Related indicator set: Key Performance Indicators for Australian Public Mental Health Services - Admitted patient indicators.
Some people’s mental health needs require accessing care in a hospital setting such as a hospital ward, an emergency department and/or an outpatient clinic. This report presents information on admitted patient (those who undergo a hospital’s formal admission process) mental health-related hospitalisations from Australian public and private hospitals. When receiving mental health hospital care, a patient may be admitted to hospital for part of a day (same day admitted care), or for one or more overnight stays (overnight admitted care).
Spotlight data
Spotlight data summarising admitted patient mental health-related hospitalisation activity.
Source: Admitted patients mental health-related care 2023–24 National data: Table AC.1
Patients can receive specialised psychiatric care in a psychiatric hospital or in a psychiatric unit in a general hospital. Patients with mental illness may also be admitted to other areas of the hospital for medical and/or surgical care, or a general ward in a hospital without a specialised psychiatric unit, where health care workers may or may not be specifically trained to care for the mentally ill. These admissions to hospitals are classified as being without specialised psychiatric care. Throughout this report, with or without specialised psychiatric care are referred to as care settings. Data are categorised according to sector and separation type, and are reported as hospitalisations (separations), procedures, patient days, or psychiatric care days. Further detail can be found in the data source section.
Stays in public hospitals with specialised psychiatric care take place in either acute or psychiatric hospitals. Throughout this report, these two types have been combined because the number of standalone psychiatric hospitals has reduced in recent years.
Private hospital-based same day admitted mental health care is provided in either private hospitals with psychiatric beds or private psychiatric day hospitals (APHA 2024).
Rates for age groups, sex, jurisdictions, remoteness area of usual residence, and SEIFA quintiles are crude rates, while age-standardised rates are also used for First Nations people in this report.
In 2023–24, 79% of overnight mental health-related hospitalisations – about 212,500 – occurred in public hospitals. Of these, 53% were with specialised psychiatric care. The rate of hospitalisation (per 10,000 population) was 79 (42 with specialised psychiatric care and 37 without). Mental health-related hospitalisations comprised 6.5% of all public overnight hospitalisations
The average length of stay was 14 days (20 days with specialised psychiatric care and 8 days without) and across both care settings about 505,000 procedures were undertaken. There were just under 3 million patient days in total across both care settings and almost 2.2 million psychiatric care days.
The rate of patient days (per 10,000 population) with specialised psychiatric care decreased from 921 to 825 between 2014–15 and 2023–24. The rate without specialised psychiatric care increased from 189 to 289.
In 2023–24, 21% of overnight mental health-related hospitalisations – about 55,800 – occurred in private hospitals. Of these, 82% were with specialised psychiatric care. Mental health-related hospitalisations comprised 4.2% of all private overnight hospitalisations.
The average length of stay was 19 days (20 days for with specialised psychiatric care; 12 days for without), and across both care settings about 233,000 procedures in total were undertaken. There were more than 1 million patient days and about 924,500 psychiatric care days in private hospitals for overnight hospitalisations.
In 2023–24, the hospitalisation rate (per 10,000 population) was 21 (17 with specialised psychiatric care and 4 without).
The rate of procedures (per 10,000 population) with specialised psychiatric care has doubled between 2014–15 and 2023–24, from 39 to 78.
Same day hospitalisations overview
In 2023–24, 23% of same day mental health-related hospitalisations – about 55,500 – occurred in public hospitals. Of these, 74% were without specialised psychiatric care and 26% were with specialised psychiatric care. Mental health-related hospitalisations comprised 1.3% of all public same day hospitalisations.
The hospitalisation rate (per 10,000 population) was 21 (5 with specialised psychiatric care; 15 without), and about 43,200 procedures were undertaken.
In 2023–24, 77% of same day mental health-related hospitalisations – about 190,000 – occurred in private hospitals. The majority of these (89%) were with specialised psychiatric care. The hospitalisation rate (per 10,000 population) was 70 (63 with specialised psychiatric care and 8 without). Mental health-related hospitalisations comprised 5% of all private same day hospitalisations.
Between 2014–15 and 2023–24, the hospitalisation rate (per 10,000 population) with specialised psychiatric care increased from 54 to 63, with a peak of 71 in 2020–21.
In 2023–24, across hospitalisations both with and without specialised psychiatric care, more than 177,500 procedures were undertaken. Between 2014–15 and 2023–24, there was an overall increase in the rate of procedures (per 10,000 population) from 58 to 66, with a peak of 85 in 2018–19.
Patient demographics
Rates of mental health-related hospitalisations vary by age, sex, First Nations status, remoteness area of usual residence, and socio-economic status area of usual residence (Figure AC.1). These differences may be due to a range of factors including differential access to hospital-based mental health services, health-seeking behaviours and the prevalence and impact of mental illness across demographic groups.
Figure AC.1: Admitted patient mental health-related hospitalisations (number and rate per 10,000 population) by key demographics, separation type, sector and care setting, 2014–15 to 2023–24
Figure AC.1 Grouped bar charts showing overnight and same day hospitalisations (number and rate per 10,000 population) for age group, sex, First Nations status (age-standardised), remoteness area of usual residence, and SEIFA quintile of usual residence, 2023–24.
Figure AC.1.1 Four line charts showing admitted patient mental health-related hospitalisations (number and rate per 10,000 population) by sex, age group, separation type, care setting and sector, 2014–15 to 2023–24.
Figure AC.1.2 Four line charts showing admitted patient mental health-related hospitalisations (number and rate per 10,000 population) by key demographic groupings, separation type, care setting and sector, 2014–15 to 2023–24.
Note: Rates of hospitalisation for the category Indigenous status are age-standardised.
Source: Admitted patients mental health-related care 2023–24 National data: Table AC.3, AC.4
Overnight
Between 2014–15 and 2023–24, the rate (per 10,000 population) of overnight hospitalisations with specialised psychiatric care was consistently higher for women, with those aged 18–24 years having the highest rates (increasing from 93 in 2014–15 to 100 in 2023–24). For this group the rate peaked at 145 in 2020–21 during the emergency phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Males aged 35–44 years had the second highest rates of this hospitalisation type (ranging between 92 and 116) over this period (Figure AC.1.1).
The rate of hospitalisations without specialised psychiatric care between 2014–15 and 2023–24 was highest among men aged 85 years and over (ranging between 246 and 344), followed by women aged 85 years and over (ranging between 211 and 298). For both these groups, hospitalisation rates without specialised care consistently increased between 2014–15 and 2021–22, followed by declines. (Figure AC.1.1).
Same day
The rate of same day hospitalisations with specialised psychiatric care between 2014–15 and 2023–24 was generally highest among women aged 45–54 years (ranging between 125 and 146). However, in the years 2020–21 and 2021–22, these rates were exceeded by those for women aged 18–24 years (Figure AC.1.1).
The rates of hospitalisations with specialised psychiatric care for both women and men aged 85 years and over declined between 2018–19 and 2020–21, after which they stabilised at much lower rates. This change was largely due to a shift in setting from same day admitted activity to outpatient care across some jurisdictions (Figure AC.1.1).
Between 2014–15 and 2023–24, the highest rates of hospitalisations with specialised psychiatric care among men were for those aged 45–54 years (ranging between 64 and 101) and 55–64 years (ranging between 68 and 87; Figure AC.1.1).
Overnight
In 2023–24, after adjusting for age, the rate (per 10,000 population) of all overnight hospitalisations (public and private sectors combined) with specialised psychiatric care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (First Nations) people was almost 3 times that for non-Indigenous people (159 compared with 56) (Figure AC.1). Between 2014–15 and 2023–24, this rate increased by 57% for First Nations people (from 101 to 159) while remaining relatively stable for non-Indigenous people (between 56 and 65) (Figure AC.1.2).
Similarly, the rate of hospitalisations without specialised psychiatric care for First Nations people was about three times higher than the rate for non-Indigenous people (107 compared with 35). This general trend was seen between 2014–15 and 2023–24 (Figure AC.1.2).
Same day
However, the rate of same day hospitalisations with specialised psychiatric care for First Nations people was 28% lower than the rate for non-Indigenous people (46 compared with 64) (Figure AC.1). Between 2014–15 and 2023–24, the rate of hospitalisations with specialised psychiatric care ranged between 56 and 73 for non-Indigenous people. The rate for First Nations people was lower in range (20 to 46) but more than doubled over this period (Figure AC.1.2).
At the same time, the rate of same day hospitalisations without specialised psychiatric care for First Nations people was more than double that of non-Indigenous people (56 compared with 21) (Figure AC.1).
Overnight
In 2023–24, the rate (per 10,000 population) of combined public and private overnight hospitalisations with specialised psychiatric care decreased overall with increasing remoteness, though the rate was higher for Inner regional areas (61) than for Major cities (57). Public hospitalisation rates were highest in Inner regional (45) and Outer regional (42) areas followed by Major cities (39) and Remote and Very remote areas (37). The differences seen for private hospitalisation rates were more marked with increasing remoteness, with the rate in Major cities (19) being almost four times that for Remote and Very remote areas (5).
Across remoteness categories, the rate of hospitalisations without specialised psychiatric care was also much lower for the private sector compared with public. However, while the rate of hospitalisations without specialised psychiatric care decreases with increasing remoteness in the private sector, the opposite pattern is seen for public hospitalisations (Figure AC.1).
Between 2014–15 and 2023–24, across both settings with and without specialised psychiatric care, rates of hospitalisations for remoteness categories remained broadly stable (Figure AC.1.2).
Same day
In 2023–24, the rate of same day hospitalisations with specialised psychiatric care (combined public and private) decreased with increasing remoteness. The same day rate was generally higher for private hospitalisations than public (Major cities, 75 compared with 6; Inner regional areas, 35 compared with 3; Outer regional, 29 compared with 5; and Remote and Very remote, 4 compared with 3) (Figure AC.1).
Like overnight hospitalisations, public hospitals rates of same day hospitalisations without specialised psychiatric care generally increase with increasing remoteness (Figure AC.1).
Between 2014–15 and 2023–24, across both with and without specialised psychiatric care settings, rates of same day hospitalisations for remoteness categories remained broadly stable, except for an upward trend for private hospitalisations with specialised psychiatric care (Figure AC.1.2)
Overnight
In 2023–24, the rate (per 10,000 population) of overnight hospitalisations with specialised psychiatric care increased with increasing social disadvantage for public hospitals and decreased with increasing social disadvantage for private hospitals (Figure AC.1). The same patterns are seen for the rate of hospitalisations without specialised psychiatric care.
Between 2014–15 and 2023–24, across both settings (with and without specialised psychiatric care), rates of overnight hospitalisations for SEIFA quintiles remained broadly stable. The exceptions to this were the least disadvantaged quintiles in the care setting without specialised psychiatric care: Quintile 4 increased by 37% (from 27 to 37) and Quintile 5 (least disadvantaged) increased by 36% (from 25 to 34) (AC.1.2).
Same day
In 2023–24, rates (per 10,000 population) of same day hospitalisations with specialised psychiatric care for public hospitals were similar across SEIFA quintiles (ranging from 4 to 6). For private hospitals, the rate with specialised psychiatric care increased with decreasing social disadvantage, with the rate for Quintile 5 (100) more than 3 times that for Quintile 1 (32) (Figure AC.1).
Between 2014–15 and 2023–24, there were overall upward trends in rates for same day private hospitalisations with specialised psychiatric care for all SEIFA quintiles except Quintile 1 (Figure AC.1.2).
In 2023–24, the rate (per 10,000 population) of same day hospitalisations without specialised psychiatric care was similar across quintiles, ranging from 19 (Quintile 3) to 25 (Quintile 5, least disadvantaged) (Figure AC.1.2).
Principal diagnosis
There is a difference in the profile of principal diagnosis frequencies between public and private sector hospital admissions. For example, considering hospitalisations with specialised psychiatric care, in 2023–24 for public overnight hospitalisations, the most frequently reported diagnosis was Schizophrenia (18%) followed by Depression and other affective disorders (11%). For private overnight hospitalisations, the most frequent was Depression and other affective disorders (36%) followed by Obsessive-compulsive disorders, reaction to severe stress and adjustment disorders (17%).
Between 2014–15 and 2023–24, Depression and other affective disorders has consistently been the most frequently reported principal diagnosis for same day public and private hospitalisations and overnight private hospitalisations with specialised psychiatric care. For overnight public hospitalisations with specialised psychiatric care, Schizophrenia has been the most common principal diagnosis over this period (Figure AC.2)
Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of alcohol was the most frequently reported principal diagnosis for both same day public and private hospitalisations without specialised psychiatric care between 2014–15 and 2023–24. Over the same period, it was the second most frequently reported diagnosis for overnight public hospitalisations without specialised psychiatric care, after Dementia, other organic mental disorders, Alzheimer's disease.
The rate of overnight public hospitalisations without specialised psychiatric care for Dementia, other organic mental disorders, Alzheimer's disease increased by 66% between 2014–15 and 2023–24, from about 790 hospitalisations per million population to about 1,300 (Figure AC.2).
Figure AC.2: Admitted patient mental health-related hospitalisations (number and rate per 1,000,000 population) by most frequent principal diagnoses, sector, separation type and care setting, 2014–15 to 2023–24
Four line graphs showing mental health-related hospitalisations (number and rate per 1,000,000 population) by principal diagnoses, sector and care setting from 2014–15 to 2023–24
Note: Most frequent diagnoses charted include the top 6 diagnoses across both sectors in the latest data year for: a) overnight with specialised care, b) overnight without specialised care, c) same day with specialised care, and d) same day without specialised care hospitalisations.
Source: Admitted patients mental health-related care 2023–24 National data: Table AC.6.
The principal source of funding for a hospitalisation is collected as part of the Admitted Patient Care National Minimum Data Set (APC NMDS). However, it should be noted that a hospitalisation may be funded by more than one source; information on additional funding sources is not available (Refer to Table AC.8).
Between 2014–15 and 2023–24:
- Across separation types (same day and overnight), and care settings (with and without specialised psychiatric care), public patient care (funded by the health service budget or reciprocal health care agreement) provided the majority of funding for public hospital stays, and private health insurance provided the majority of funding for private hospital stays.
- A decreasing trend for Department of Veterans’ Affairs funding can be observed for same day with specialised psychiatric care hospitalisations, largely driven by recent shifts in services for veterans from admitted care to non-admitted care, such as outpatient services.
The mode of separation from care provides information on how each period of care ended and, for some, the place to which the patient was discharged or transferred (Refer to Table AC.7).
Between 2014–15 and 2023–24:
- Across both sectors, separation types, and care settings, the most frequently reported mode of separation was discharge to home. This category includes discharge to usual residence/own accommodation/welfare institution (including prisons, hostels and group homes providing primarily welfare services).
- The proportion of separations to an(other) acute or psychiatric hospital for public hospital patients in a setting without specialised psychiatric care decreased from 18% to 7% for same day, and from 11% to 9% for overnight hospitalisations.
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Data source
Although there are national standards for data on admitted patient care, the results presented here may be affected by variations in admission and reporting practices between states and territories.
The large decline in patient days associated with public hospital mental health-related hospitalisations between 2016–17 and 2017–18 occurred after large increases between 2014–15 and 2016–17. The rise in patient days is substantially impacted by long stay mental health patients, primarily in specialised psychiatric care settings, who can individually account for hundreds of days. These fluctuations are likely to also be related to the introduction of the Mental health care type from 1 July 2015. For example, to change the care type of patients receiving mental health care, Queensland (2015–16) and New South Wales (2016–17) discharged and readmitted patients, causing the rise in hospitalisations and patient days counted in those years. The subsequent decline in patient days seen in 2017–18 is impacted by days accrued before the change in care type being counted in an earlier year.
Overnight and same day admitted mental health-related care data are sourced from the National Hospital Morbidity Database (NHMD), a collation of data on admitted patient care in Australian hospitals defined by the Admitted Patient Care National Minimum Data Set (APC NMDS).
The NHMD is a compilation of episode-level records from admitted patient morbidity data collections in Australian hospitals. Items include demographic, administrative and length of stay data for each hospitalisation. Clinical information such as diagnoses, procedures undergone, and external causes of injury and poisoning are also recorded. For further details on the scope and quality of data in the NHMD, refer to the Admitted patient care NMDS 2023–24.
Specialised mental health-related care is identified by the patient having one or more psychiatric care days recorded – that is, care was received in a specialised psychiatric unit or ward during that hospitalisation. In public acute hospitals, a specialised hospitalisation may comprise some psychiatric care days and some days in general care. Care from a public psychiatric hospital is deemed to comprise psychiatric care days only and to be specialised, unless some care was given in a unit other than a psychiatric unit, such as a drug and alcohol unit.
Due to the relatively small number of admitted patient mental health-related hospitalisations without specialised psychiatric care from public psychiatric hospitals, these have been combined with the public acute hospitals for reporting purposes.
The principal diagnosis refers to the diagnosis established after observation by medical staff to be chiefly responsible for the patient’s episode of admitted patient care. For 2023–24, diagnoses are classified according to the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th revision, Australian Modification (ICD-10-AM 12th edition) (IHACPA 2023). Further information on this is included in the technical information section.
For 2023–24, procedures are classified according to the Australian Classification of Health Interventions, 11th edition. Further information on this classification is included in the technical information section. More than one procedure can be reported for a separation and not all hospitalisations have a procedure reported.
Further information on admitted patient care can be found in the AIHW Hospitals report Admitted patient care (AIHW 2025), which contains data for hospitalisations that occurred between 1 July 2022 and 30 June 2023. Hospitalisations that began before 1 July 2022 are included if the separation date fell within the collection period. A record is generated for each hospitalisation (separation) rather than each patient. Therefore, those patients who had more than one hospitalisation in the reference year will have more than one record in the database. It is possible for individuals to have multiple hospitalisations (separations) in any given reference period.
Between 2016–17 and 2021–22, private hospital same day admitted mental health care data was sourced from the Australian Private Hospitals Association Private Psychiatric Hospitals Data Reporting and Analysis Service (PPHDRAS) and was not comparable with data from the NHMD. From 2024 (2022–23 collection year), the data source for same day private hospitalisations has changed back to the NHMD. This change has been reflected in the current reporting period and all time-series tables have been updated to reflect this change for the years presented. It should be noted that PPHDRAS reported episodes and patients, but the NHMD reports hospitalisations (separations).
AIHW (2025) Admitted patient care, AIHW, Australian Government, accessed 5 June 2025.
APHA (Australian Private Hospitals Association) (2024) Private Hospital-based Psychiatric Services 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023, APHA, accessed 5 June 2025.
Independent Hospital and Aged Care Pricing Authority (IHACPA) (2023) ICD-10-AM/ACHI/ACS Twelfth Edition, IHACPA, accessed 5 June 2025.