Table 3.
Age-specific frequency of PMHC referrals in Western Sydney (Australia) (2013–2014 to 2017–2018)
| Age years | ≤ 11 | 12–24 | 25–34 | 35–44 | 45–54 | 55–64 | ≥ 65 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population total = 1,027,211 | 177,843 (17.31) | 173,286 (16.87) | 176,645 (17.20) | 157,832 (15.37) | 121,880 (11.87) | 101,806 (9.91) | 117,919 (11.48) |
| GP visits (% of population) | 3904 (1.96) | 17,198 (8.29) | 22,187 (11.20) | 25,316 (14.65) | 24,663 (16.59) | 20,009 (16.39) | 23,090 (16.20) |
| MBS items (% of population) | 4923 (2.48) | 15,375 (7.41) | 15,762 (7.96) | 16,148 (9.35) | 13,754 (9.25) | 9492 (7.78) | 6876 (4.82) |
| 2013–2014 referrals | 623 | 520 | 291 | 277 | 255 | 120 | 96 |
| % of GP visits+ | 17.04 | 3.21 | 1.36 | 1.10 | 1.03 | 0.59 | 0.40 |
| % of MBS items | 13.95 | 3.79 | 2.02 | 1.83 | 1.97 | 1.36 | 1.55 |
| 2014–2015 referrals | 579 | 517 | 346 | 358 | 288 | 221 | 131 |
| % of GP visits+ | 15.83 | 3.19 | 1.61 | 1.43 | 1.17 | 1.09 | 0.55 |
| % of MBS items | 12.21 | 3.51 | 2.28 | 2.27 | 2.17 | 2.39 | 1.99 |
| Standardized % of GP visits | 14.16 | 2.85 | 1.44 | 1.28 | 1.04 | 0.98 | 0.49 |
| Standardized % of MBS items | 10.92 | 3.14 | 2.04 | 2.03 | 1.94 | 2.14 | 1.78 |
| 2015–2016 referrals | 578 | 647 | 429 | 402 | 395 | 242 | 158 |
| % of GP visits | 15.81 | 3.99 | 2.00 | 1.60 | 1.60 | 1.20 | 0.66 |
| % of MBS items | 11.23 | 4.02 | 2.60 | 2.42 | 2.76 | 2.50 | 2.20 |
| Standardized % of GP visits | 12.10 | 3.06 | 1.53 | 1.23 | 1.22 | 0.92 | 0.50 |
| Standardized % of MBS items | 8.59 | 3.08 | 1.99 | 1.85 | 2.11 | 1.91 | 1.68 |
| 2016–2017 referrals | 606 | 695 | 478 | 499 | 410 | 274 | 195 |
| % of GP visits | 15.30 | 4.00 | 2.12 | 1.95 | 1.65 | 1.36 | 0.84 |
| % of MBS items | 11.36 | 4.09 | 2.81 | 2.93 | 2.83 | 2.69 | 2.58 |
| Standardized % of GP visits | 10.58 | 2.77 | 1.46 | 1.35 | 1.14 | 0.94 | 0.58 |
| Standardized % of MBS items | 7.85 | 2.83 | 1.94 | 2.02 | 1.96 | 1.86 | 1.79 |
| 2017–2018 referrals | 647 | 1103 | 899 | 867 | 742 | 552 | 357 |
| % of GP visits | 15.80 | 6.12 | 3.99 | 3.44 | 3.03 | 2.80 | 1.62 |
| % of MBS items* | 12.13 | 6.49 | 5.28 | 5.09 | 5.13 | 5.42 | 4.73 |
| Standardized % of GP visits | 6.67 | 2.58 | 1.69 | 1.45 | 1.28 | 1.18 | 0.68 |
| Standardized % of MBS items | 5.12 | 2.74 | 2.23 | 2.15 | 2.17 | 2.29 | 2.00 |
Row percentages presented
PMHC services: Federal government funded mental health initiatives to support people otherwise have no or limited access to psychological treatments
GP visits: Any GP presentation related to anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, bipolar disorders, depression, postnatal depression and schizophrenia
MBS items: Number of patients received Medicare rebates related to any mental health service received from a GP, Psychiatrist, Clinical psychologist or other allied health professionals
Standardised %: Referral rates as a % of GP visits and MBS rebates adjusted for number of referrals in 2013–2014
* 2016–2017 MBS rebates were used as the denominator
+2015–2016 GP visits were used as the denominator