The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) has published its most recent report, offering insights into the delivery of mental health services in Australia. The report addresses the need for a better understanding of the mental health landscape, which is increasingly important as mental health disorders among Australians continue to rise.
According to the report, an estimated 42.9% of Australians aged 16–85 will experience a mental health disorder at some point in their lives. Anxiety is the most common mental health disorder among this age group. Over the past two decades, mental health disorders, including substance use, have accounted for approximately 12% of Australia’s total disease burden and 24% of the non-fatal disease burden.
The report focuses on mental health services activity monitoring for the June quarter of 2023 (3 April – 2 July), providing comparisons with previous years. It also assesses how the mental health system is responding to the population’s needs and events like the COVID-19 pandemic, natural disasters, and policy changes.
General practitioners (GPs) play a crucial role in managing mental illness and coordinating access to care for patients. Data from the RACGP’s 2022 General Practice: Health of the Nation report shows that 38% of all weekly GP encounters were related to mental health. Mental health remains a top emerging patient health issue, causing concern among GPs.
The report highlights Medicare-subsidized mental health services provided by multidisciplinary teams, including GPs, psychiatrists, psychologists, and allied health professionals. These services are billed as mental health-related items. However, tracking only these items may underestimate the total mental health-related activity, especially for services provided by GPs.
During 2021–22, the Medicare-subsidized mental health-specific service rate was 529 services per 1000 population in Australia, with GPs providing the highest rate (143). Psychologists recorded the highest proportion (49%) of these services, while GPs provided 27% of care.
In the June quarter of 2023, 3,237,199 MBS mental health services were processed nationally, with 20% delivered via telehealth. This indicates a decrease in telehealth utilization compared to the same quarter in 2022.
The report also discusses the dispensation of mental health-related medications, with antidepressants being the most commonly prescribed. Tasmania had the highest proportion of residents dispensed a mental health-related prescription, while inner-regional areas had higher medication dispensation rates.
In terms of demographics, the age group most likely to receive mental health services was 18–24 years, with females having a higher rate compared to males. Rates of service usage varied according to remoteness and socio-economic factors.
Expenditure on mental health-related services in 2020–21 was estimated at $11.6 billion, with government mental health expenditure accounting for $11 billion. This represents 7% of total health expenditure in Australia.
The report aims to provide a comprehensive overview of mental health services in Australia and help guide improvements in mental health care delivery.
