Policy Priority: Mental health
A person’s mental health is a major determinant of general health and wellbeing and affects the ability to lead a productive and fulfilling life. Poor mental health can lead to lower levels of social and community engagement – and poorer education, employment and housing outcomes – which, in turn, can worsen mental health. Having appropriate, effective and accessible mental health supports and services that meet the needs of people with disability and embedding a cross-sector approach to building mental health and wellbeing, are essential.
The purpose of the “Mental health” policy priority is to support the mental health of people with disability and improve their experiences with mental health care services. There are 3 measures under this policy priority area:
- Involuntary hospital admissions (updated)
- High psychological distress
- NDIS participants life satisfaction.
The updated measure is discussed below.
Measure: Involuntary hospital admissions
Full name – Number of involuntary hospital admissions per 100,000 people with disability
Involuntary treatment is the compulsory assessment and/or treatment of people in mental health services without the person’s consent being given. This is described as a form of restrictive practice and is mandated under respective state and territory legal and regulatory frameworks and approved under certain conditions (AIHW 2025). For more information, see Data Dictionary: Involuntary hospital admissions.
The measure looks at the number of involuntary hospital admissions per 100,000 people with disability. In 2025, this measure is disaggregated by sex and age group only.
Involuntary hospital admissions
Latest update: 1,841 per 100,000 (2021–22)
Baseline: 2,013 per 100,000 (2020–21)
Progress status (preliminary): Improving
In 2021–22:
- the rate of involuntary hospital admissions per 100,000 was higher for males with disability (1,887) than females with disability (1,777)
- the rate of involuntary hospital admission was highest for people with disability aged 30–44 (4,883 admissions per 100,000), and lowest for people with disability aged under 15 (76 admissions per 100,000).
Figure 7.3: Number of involuntary hospital admissions per 100,000 people with disability, 2020–21 to 2021–22
The data in the graph and the table below show the number of involuntary hospital admissions per 100,000 people with disability. Data from 2020–21 to 2021–22 are used. In 2021–22, there were 1,841 involuntary hospital admissions per 100,000 people with disability compared with 2,013 admissions per 100,000 people in 2020–21.
| Year | No. of involuntary hospital admissions per 100,000 people with disability |
|---|---|
| 2020–21 | 2,013 |
| 2021–22 | *1,841 |
Notes:
- Data for this measure comes from the National Health Data Hub (NHDH). For more information, see Data source – National Health Data Hub.
- This analysis excludes hospital admissions and the population in WA/NT due to data availability. ACT data are currently excluded for 2021–22 due to a technical issue. Work is underway to resolve this.
- People with disability include individuals who received disability-related government payments or services between 2020–21 to 2021–22. People with disability aged 65 and over are under-represented. This does not represent all people with disability. As a result, people with disability who did not receive these disability-related government payments or services are counted as people without disability in these data. For more information, see Disability Indicators Explanatory Notes | NDDA.
- Only admissions to public hospitals (including psychiatric hospitals) were included.
- Involuntary admissions were identified where 'mental health legal status' was recorded as involuntary. Episodes where 'mental health legal status' was not reported were treated as voluntary. More information on this variable can be found here: Episode of care—mental health legal status, code N.
- Involuntary admissions were identified where 'mental health legal status' was recorded as 'involuntary'. Episodes where 'mental health legal status' was not reported were treated as voluntary.
- Rates are expressed as the number of involuntary hospital admissions per 100,000 population. Crude rates are calculated using the sum of resident populations at 30 June of the previous financial year, estimated from NHDH data. Residents of WA and NT are excluded.
- Note that time series comparisons should be interpreted with care. An analysis of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the rate of involuntary hospital admissions of people with disability was beyond the scope of the ADS OF project at this time. Changes to state and territory legislation and data collection methods can result in changes in the recording of contacts or episodes with involuntary legal status.
- This analysis excludes hospital admissions and the population from Western Australia and the Northern Territory due to data availability. For 2021–22 data, ACT data are unavailable.
Source: AIHW NHDH 2021–22, analysis of NHDH.
*ACT data are currently excluded for 2021–22 due to a technical issue. Work is underway to resolve this.
Source:
AIHW NHDH 2021–22, analysis of NHDH
|
Data source overview
For figure notes, see Appendix B: Figure notes and sources.
AIHW (2020) Coordination of health care: experiences of barriers to accessing health services among patients aged 45 and over, AIHW, Australian Government, accessed 13 October 2025.
AIHW (2024a) ‘Health’, People with disability in Australia, AIHW, Australian Government, accessed 13 October 2025.
AIHW (2024b) Social determinants of health, AIHW, Australian Government, accessed 13 October 2025.
AIHW (2025) ‘Involuntary treatment in mental health care’, Mental Health, AIHW, Australian Government, accessed 13 October 2025.
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