Figure ON.6 Alternative text - Source data: Overnight admitted mental health-related care tables (272KB XLS).
There were 6,937 overnight mental health separations without specialised psychiatric care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in 2017–18, which is 91.1 per 10,000 population, which compares to 36.3 per 10,000 population for other patients. Rates standardised on the 2001 age profile were 116.6 and 33.9 per 10,000 population respectively, so the standardised rate for Indigenous people was 3.4 times that of other patients.
People living in Remote and very remote areas had a higher rate of overnight mental health-related separations without specialised psychiatric care than those in Major cities in 2017–18 (72.2 and 35.3 per 10,000 population respectively).
People living in the most disadvantaged socioeconomic quintile had 44.7 separations per 10,000 people and those living in the least disadvantaged quintile had 31.6 per 10,000 people.
Changes over time
For each year examined, and for each sex, the age profile of overnight mental health separations without specialised care per population had a similar broad pattern of being relatively low for most age groups (with the lowest rate for age group 5–11 years), and relatively high for older adults (75–84 years, and 85+ years). As for separations with specialised psychiatric care, the largest difference between sexes for separations without specialised psychiatric care also occurred for the age group 12–17 years, with females having almost three times the rate of separations as males.
In the most recent reporting period (2017–18) the rates for 75–84 year old males and females were 129.2 and 109.5 per 10,000 population respectively, which are 50.5% and -37.1% increases on rates reported for the earliest reporting period analysed (2006–07). These increases have evolved quite consistently across the period analysed, with most year-on-year changes being increases. For this age group, males have consistently had a higher rate than the female population, and this difference was largest in the most recent reporting period (about 18% higher).
In the most recent reporting period (2017–18) the rates for 85+ year old males and females were 305.3 and 267.4 per 10,000 population respectively, which are 72.8% and -75.1% increases on rates reported for the earliest reporting period analysed (2006–07). For this age group, males have consistently had a higher rate than the female population (between 14% and 23% higher). The contrast with the rates for overnight mental health separations with specialised care should be noted for this age group.
Principal diagnosis
In 2017–18, the most frequently reported principal diagnosis for overnight mental health-related separations without specialised psychiatric care were Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of alcohol (ICD‑10‑AM code F10) (21.1% in public hospitals and 21.7% in private hospitals), followed by Other organic mental disorders (20.0% in public and 19.1% in private hospitals) (Figure ON.7).