PERSONS OF ALL AGES

There were 75,858 deaths registered in Australia in 2011-12 (between 10 August 2011 and 27 September 2012 inclusive) of persons who accessed mental health-related treatments, equivalent to a crude death rate of 23.8 deaths per 1,000 population. The standardised death rate was 11.4 deaths per 1,000 population, almost twice that of the total Australian population (6.1 deaths per 1,000 population).

For males who accessed mental health-related treatments the standardised death rate was 16.4 deaths per 1,000 population, more than twice (2.3 times) that of deaths of all males in Australia (7.3 deaths per 1,000 population). For females who accessed mental health-related treatments the death rate was around 1.7 times higher than that of all females in Australia (8.6 deaths per 1,000 population compared with 5.1 deaths per 1,000 population respectively). Additionally, the standardised death rate for males who accessed mental health-related treatments was almost twice (1.9 times) that of females who accessed mental health-related treatments.



For persons who accessed mental health-related treatments in 2011, age-specific death rates increased with age, similar to the pattern of age-specific death rates amongst the total Australian population. However, across all age groups, age-specific death rates were higher amongst persons who accessed mental health-related treatments, and particularly amongst persons aged 25-44 years where death rates were three to four times higher than the Australian population aged 25-44 years.


Footnote(s): (a) Deaths per 1,000 population. Death rates are age standardised to the 2001 Australian population. (b) Deaths registered in Australia between 10 August 2011 and 27 September 2012 inclusive. (c) Persons who accessed MBS subsidised mental health-related services and/or PBS subsidised mental health-related prescription medications in 2011.
Source(s): Mortality of People Using Mental Health Services and Prescription Medications


The pattern of higher death rates amongst persons who accessed mental health-related treatments compared with the total Australian population was repeated across other socio-demographic characteristics such as geography and levels of socio-economic disadvantage. For persons in Remote/Very Remote and Outer Regional areas of Australia who accessed mental health-related treatments the standardised death rate was 13.5 deaths per 1,000 population, more than twice (2.3 and 2.1 times respectively) that of deaths of all persons in Remote/Very Remote and Outer Regional areas (6.0 and 6.5 deaths per 1,000 population respectively).

Additionally, amongst persons who accessed mental health-related treatments the standardised death rate for persons in Remote/Very Remote areas and Outer Regional areas (both 13.5 deaths per 1,000 population) was around one-quarter (26.2%) higher than for persons in Major Cities (10.7 deaths per 1,000 population).



Similarly, amongst persons who accessed mental health-related treatments the standardised death rate for persons in the most disadvantaged areas of Australia (Quintile 1 below) was more than 40% higher than for persons in the least disadvantaged areas (Quintile 5) (13.4 deaths per 1,000 population compared with 9.5 deaths per 1,000 population respectively).

	Persons who accessed mental health-related treatments in 2011(a)			Total Australian population
	Deaths(b) no.	Death rate(c) rate		Deaths(b) no.	Death rate(c) rate	Rate ratio(d) ratio
Sex
nnnMales	35 457	16.4		78 428	7.3	2.3
nnnFemales	40 401	8.6		75 023	5.1	1.7
Remoteness Areas
nnnMajor Cities	47 686	10.7		101 351	6.0	1.8
nnnInner Regional	18 942	12.6		34 698	6.5	1.9
nnnOuter Regional	8 206	13.5		15 133	6.5	2.1
nnnRemote/Very Remote	1 023	13.5		2 212	6.0	2.3
Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage
nnnQuintile 1 – most disadvantaged areas	24 504	13.4		46 446	7.8	1.7
nnnQuintile 2	18 112	11.8		35 436	6.5	1.8
nnnQuintile 3	13 522	10.7		28 347	5.9	1.8
nnnQuintile 4	10 645	10.0		22 713	5.3	1.9
nnnQuintile 5 – least disadvantaged areas	8 376	9.5		18 785	4.7	2.0
Total deaths	75 858	11.4		153 451	6.1	1.9
(a) Persons who accessed MBS and/or PBS subsidised mental health-related services or medications in 2011. (b) Deaths registered between 10 August 2011 and 27 September 2012 inclusive. (c) Deaths per 1,000 population, age standardised to the 2001 Australian population. (d) Ratio calculated as death rate for persons who accessed mental health-related treatments divided by death rate for total Australian population.