Mental health
Mental health-related prescriptions
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Introduction
This section presents information on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) and Repatriation Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (RPBS) prescriptions for mental health-related medications; both subsidised prescriptions and under co-payment prescriptions (that is, prescriptions that cost less than the threshold for subsidy under the PBS).
Mental health‑related medications reported in this section comprise the broad groups Antipsychotics, Anxiolytics, Hypnotics and sedatives, Antidepressants, and Psychostimulants, agents used for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and nootropics prescribed by all medical practitioners. Unless otherwise stated in this report, prescriptions dispensed include total prescriptions, that is, both subsidised and under co-payment arrangements.
For further information on the PBS and RPBS and the medications covered by these schemes, refer to the data source section.
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Spotlight figure: National patient rate per 1,000 population by medication type, 2015–16 to 2024–25
Line chart showing the rate of mental health-related prescriptions per 1,000 population by medication type between 2015–16 and 2024–25.
Source: PBS/RPBS data (sourced from Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing): Table PBS.1.
Patient demographics
About 19% of the Australian population (5.2 million people) were dispensed a mental health-related prescription in 2024–25. This proportion has increased over time steadily from about 17% in 2015–16.
Females have consistently had higher rates than males since 2015–16 with rates per 1,000 population between 40-50% higher than males during this period (Figure PBS.1). People aged 75–84 and 85 years and older have consistently had the highest rates per 1,000 population since 2015–16.
Tasmania had the highest patient rates per 1,000 of population dispensed a mental health-related prescription since 2015–16. While the Northern Territory has consistently had the lowest rates during this period, this needs to be viewed considering the fact that many services provided through Indigenous health services are not included in the PBS. For example, a proportion of the Australian Government subsidy on pharmaceuticals in remote First Nations communities is funded through the Remote Area Aboriginal Health Services Program, where medications are supplied directly to patients without using a PBS prescription form (Department of Health, Disability and Ageing 2025).
| State or territory | Proportion (%) of population in 2015–16 | Proportion (%) of population in 2024–25 |
|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | 15.6 | 17.5 |
| Victoria | 16.2 | 18.5 |
| Queensland | 18.1 | 20.7 |
| Western Australia | 16.5 | 18.9 |
| South Australia | 18.5 | 19.9 |
| Tasmania | 21.1 | 25.1 |
| Australian Capital Territory | 15.0 | 18.5 |
| Northern Territory | 8.6 | 10.6 |
Note: Northern Territory data are an underestimate due to the Remote Area Aboriginal Health Services Program.
Source: PBS/RPBS data (sourced from Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing): Table PBS.2.
The highest patient rates per 1,000 population since 2015–16 were seen for Inner regional areas. The patient rates seen for Outer regional areas, Major cities and Remote and very remote areas were consistently around 10%, 24% and 46% lower, respectively, than the other areas during this period (Figure PBS.2).
The highest patient rates per 1,000 population were seen for the three Least disadvantaged SEIFA quintiles since 2015–16. During this period, the rate for the two Most disadvantaged SEIFA quintiles increased from about 7% lower to 13% lower than the Least disadvantaged quintiles.
Figure PBS.1: Mental health-related prescriptions by demographic characteristics and medication type, 2015–16 to 2024–25
Interactive figure showing mental health-related prescriptions by demographics and medication type, 2015–16 to 2024–25.
Note: A proportion of the Australian Government subsidy on pharmaceuticals in remote First Nations communities is funded through the Remote Area Aboriginal Health Services Program, where medications are supplied directly to patients and hence are not included in these data. Therefore, figures presented for sub-jurisdictional areas with relatively higher First Nations populations for example Remote and very remote areas are considered to be an underestimate.
Source: PBS/RPBS data (sourced from Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing): Table PBS.4 and PBS.5.
Prescriptions by medication type
The most commonly dispensed mental health-related medication type in 2024–25 was Antidepressants (70% of all mental health-related prescriptions), followed by Psychostimulants, agents used for ADHD and nootropics (12%), Antipsychotics (9%), Anxiolytics (6%), and Hypnotics and sedatives (3%).
In 2024–25:
- Antidepressants were dispensed to 14% of the Australian population (3.8 million people).
- Anxiolytics were dispensed to 3.3% of the population (896,000 people).
- Psychostimulants, agents used for ADHD and nootropics were dispensed to 2.8% of the population (761,000 people).
- Hypnotics and sedatives were dispensed to 2.0% of the population (545,000 people).
- Antipsychotics were dispensed to 1.8% of the population (504,000 people).
The highest rates were seen in females aged 85 years and over, where 35% had a prescription dispensed for Antidepressants, 10% for Hypnotics and sedatives, and 7.7% for Anxiolytics.
Females were more likely than males to have a prescription dispensed for Antidepressants (18% compared with 10%), Anxiolytics (4.1% compared with 2.5%), and Hypnotics and sedatives (2.5% compared with 1.5%).
Males were more likely than females to have a prescription dispensed for Psychostimulants, agents used for ADHA and nootropics (3.1% compared with 2.5%).
Has the rate of mental health-related prescriptions changed over time?
The proportion of the population that filled a mental health-related prescription (subsidised and under co-payment) rose slightly from 17% to 19% between 2015–16 and 2024–25 (Figure PBS.2).
Over the same time period, the rate of total mental health-related prescriptions dispensed (per 1,000 population) increased from 1,488 to 1,806.
The rate of subsidised prescriptions dispensed decreased between 2015–16 and 2018–19 from 1,002 to 975, then increased in subsequent years to 1,104 in 2024–25. Fluctuations in subsidised prescription rates may be related to price reductions on medications no longer under patent and competing brands listed at a reduced price (Department of Health, Disability and Ageing 2026). More information about this is available in Expenditure on mental health-related services.
Figure PBS.2 Mental health-related prescriptions by medication type, 2015–16 to 2024–25
Line chart showing trends in mental health-related prescriptions between 2015–16 and 2024–25.
Source: PBS/RPBS data (sourced from Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing): Table PBS.1.
Between 2015–16 and 2024–25, the proportion of Australians who had a prescription filled for a mental health-related medication:
- decreased for Anxiolytics (4.0% to 3.3%) and Hypnotics and sedatives (3.3% to 2.0%)
- was relatively stable for Antipsychotics (around 1.8-1.9%)
- increased for Antidepressants (12% to 14%) and Psychostimulants, agents used for ADHD and nootropics (0.6% to 2.8%).
For information on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) prescriptions and trends in ADHD medication dispensing that are contributing to increases for Psychostimulants, agents used for ADHD and nootropics see ADHD medications dispensed 2004–05 to 2023–24.
Who prescribes mental health-related prescriptions?
In 2024–25, the majority of mental health-related prescriptions dispensed (81%) were issued by general practitioners (GPs). The only mental health-related medication type that GPs did not issue the majority of prescriptions for was Psychostimulants, agents used for ADHD and nootropics, where 37% were written by non-psychiatrist specialists (such as paediatricians), 36% by psychiatrists, and 26% by GPs. This is likely related to restrictions on which medical practitioners can prescribe psychostimulants under the PBS. Each jurisdiction has different regulations about prescribing psychostimulants as they are potentially addictive, therefore their prescription and supply are highly controlled (Department of Health, Disability and Ageing 2025).
Figure PBS.3: Mental health-related prescriptions, by type of medication and prescribing medical practitioner, 2015–16 to 2024–25
Chart showing the number of mental health-related prescriptions dispensed, by medication type and prescribing medical practitioner, over 10 years to 2024–25.
Source: PBS/RPBS data (sourced from Australian Government of Health, Disability and Ageing): Table PBS.3.
Where can I find more information?
- Medicare mental health services
- Expenditure on mental health-related services
- ADHD medications dispensed 2004–05 to 2023–24
- Impacts of COVID-19 on Medicare Benefits Scheme and Pharmaceuticals Benefits Scheme service use
For information about mental health support, these resources can help:
For media enquiries, contact [email protected].
Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and Repatriation Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme data
The Australian Government subsidises the cost of prescription medicines through 2 schemes, the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) and the Repatriation Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (RPBS) for eligible veterans and their dependants.
People fall into 2 broad classes: general and concessional. Concessional beneficiaries include pensioners, Health Care card holders, Commonwealth Seniors Health card holders and Veterans card holders. Under the PBS/RPBS, the patient is required to contribute a co-payment which is indexed annually. The co-payment is $25.00 for general patients and $7.70 for those with a concession card as of 1 January 2026. If a medicine is priced below the relevant co-payment threshold the consumer pays the full price and the prescription is classified as ‘under co-payment’. If a medicine is not listed in the PBS Schedule of Pharmaceutical Benefits, the consumer pays the full price as a private prescription, and the data is not included in the presented tables.
Most prescriptions for General Schedule medicines (Section 85) are dispensed through community pharmacies, but the PBS is also available in private hospitals and through eligible public hospitals to patients on discharge as well as day patients. In addition, a number of drugs are distributed under alternative arrangements where these are considered more appropriate (Section 100). Examples are the Highly Specialised Drugs program and General Schedule medicines that are supplied directly to First Nations patients via the Remote Area Aboriginal Health Services Program.
PBS/RPBS does not include the following:
- Private prescriptions
- Over the counter medicines
- Medicines supplied to public hospital inpatients.
Services Australia processes all prescriptions dispensed under the PBS/RPBS and provides these data to the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. The PBS/RPBS data maintained by the Department has been used to produce this report. Information collected includes the characteristics of the person the prescription is written for, the medication prescribed (for example, type and cost), the prescribing practitioner and the supplying pharmacy (for example, location). The figures reported relate to the number of mental health-related prescriptions supplied by pharmacies and processed by Services Australia in the reporting period, the number of people provided with prescriptions and their characteristics, as well as the prescription costs funded by the PBS and RPBS (further information can be found in the Expenditure section).
Although the PBS and RPBS data capture most of the prescribed medicines dispensed in Australia, these data have the following limitations:
- The number of patients dispensed under co-payment prescriptions cannot be derived by subtracting the number of patients receiving subsidised prescriptions from the total number of patients shown in the tables. Patients may receive both subsidised and under co-payment prescriptions.
- Programs funded by the PBS/RPBS that do not use the Services Australia online processing system include:
- Public hospitals
- Remote Area Aboriginal Health Services program
- Opiate Dependence Treatment Program.
Only one of these has a bearing on the mental health-related prescriptions data published in the Prescriptions and Expenditure sections: the Remote Area Aboriginal Health Services Program. Most affected are the data for Remote and Very remote areas and the data for the Northern Territory. As a result, the mental health-related prescriptions data in these sections will not fully reflect Australian Government expenditure on mental health-related medications.
- All data is presented by the date of supply, that is, when the prescription was dispensed to the patient. For demographic tables, patient characteristics are determined at a single point in each year, ensuring each person is only counted once in the year.
- State and territory are determined according to the patient’s residential address as recorded on the Medicare Enrolment file. If the patient’s state or territory is unknown, then the state or territory of the pharmacy supplying the item is reported.
The Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification version used is the primary classification as it appears in the PBS Schedule of Pharmaceutical Benefits. This can differ slightly from the World Health Organization (WHO) version (WHO 2022). There are 3 differences between the WHO ATC classification and the PBS Schedule classification that have a bearing on mental health data:
- Prochlorperazine is regarded as an antiemetic (A04A) in the PBS Schedule while it is an antipsychotic (N05A) according to the WHO classification. This means that information on prochlorperazine will not appear in the data provided as it is not listed as a mental health drug in the PBS Schedule.
- Bupropion is listed as an anti-smoking drug (N07B) in the PBS Schedule while it is an antidepressant (N06A) according to the WHO classification. This means that bupropion will not appear in the data as it is not listed as a mental health drug in the PBS schedule.
- Lithium carbonate is classified as an antidepressant (N06A) in the PBS Schedule while it is an antipsychotic (N05A) according to the WHO classification. This means that lithium carbonate will appear in the data as an antidepressant rather than an antipsychotic.
Department of Health, Disability and Ageing (2025) Federal Register of Legislation - Therapeutic Goods (Poisons Standard–June 2025) Instrument 2025 [website], Australian Government. Accessed 2 February 2026.
Department of Health, Disability and Ageing (2026) About the PBS, Department of Health and Aged Care, Australian Government, accessed 2 February 2026.
Department of Health, Disability and Ageing (2025) About the Remote Area Aboriginal Health Services Program, Australian Government, accessed 2 February 2026.
WHO (World Health Organisation) (2022) ATC: Structure and principles, Oslo: WHO Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology, accessed 2 February 2026.
Data presented covers the time period 2015–16 to 2024–25. This page was last updated in May 2026.