One in 10 Aussies Use Mental Health Services
11 October 2013 at 10:20 am
In 2010-11, 9 per cent of the Australian population (or 1.9 million Australians) received mental health services, according to a report released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).
And almost $6.9 billion was spent on mental health-related services in Australia during 2010-11, equating to $309 per person.
The report, Mental health services in Australia – in brief 2013 is being released on world mental health day.
”Mental health is an important health issue in Australia,” AIHW spokesperson Dr Pamela Kinnear said.
“An estimated 7.3 million Australians aged between 16 and 85 (45 per cent) will experience a mental health-related disorder in their lifetime. And, one in 5 Australians in this age range experience symptoms of a mental disorder each year.
“Mental health services in Australia are provided through hospitals and other residential care facilities, hospital-based outpatient care services, community mental health services, and consultations with GPs and specialists.
“Spending on mental health services increased by almost 6 per cent per Australian per year over the five years to 2010-11.”
There were an estimated 243,444 mental health-related public hospital ED occasions of service in 2010-11.
“This is an increase of almost 3 per cent compared to the estimated number of visits in 2009-10,” Dr Kinnear said.
More than 80 per cent of mental health-related ED occasions of service were classified as urgent (patient should be seen within 30 minutes) or semi-urgent (patient should be seen within 60 minutes).
The AIHW is a major national agency set up by the Federal Government to provide regular and relevant information and statistics on Australia's health and welfare.
Full publication: Mental health services in Australia-in brief 2013
