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Background: The aim of this study was to demonstrate the application of a needs-based mental health service planning model in Tasmania, Australia to identify indicative directions for future service development that ensure the equitable provision of mental health services across the State. Methods: The activity and capacity of Tasmania's 2018–19 mental health services were compared to estimates of required care by: (1) generating estimates of required care using the National Mental Health Service Planning Framework (NMHSPF); (2) collating administrative mental health services data; (3) aligning administrative data to the NMHSPF; and (4) comparing aligned administrative data and NMHSPF estimates to identify priority areas for service development. Findings were contextualised using information about service location, population demographics, and upcoming service development. Results: Bed-based services capacity reached 85% of the NMHSPF estimate. However, access to certain bed types was inequitable across regional areas. Access to jurisdictional clinical ambulatory team-based services was lowest in the South, while overall full-time equivalent staff capacity reached 58% of the NMHSPF estimate. Access to Primary Health Tasmania (PHT) primary care services was highest in the North West; access to Medicare services was highest in the South. Collectively, activity across primary care (PHT, headspace and Medicare) reached 43% of the NMHSPF estimate. Over half of Community Managed Mental Health Support Services were state-wide services. Conclusions: This study demonstrates the application of a needs-based planning model for mental health services. Findings revealed service priority areas across Tasmania and highlight considerations for needs-based planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intensive unpaid caring is associated with greater likelihood of not being employed, but impacts for mental health carers specifically remain unknown. This study aimed to: (a) examine the association between caring intensity and not being employed for primary mental health carers, (b) ascertain whether this relationship differs from that for other disability carers, (c) enumerate Australian primary mental health carers with a possible need for employment support and (d) describe these carers' unmet support needs and barriers to employment. Co‐resident, working age primary mental health (n = 137) and other disability carers (n = 821) were identified in the Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers (collected July‐December 2015). Multiple logistic regression analyses examined associations between levels of caring intensity (1–9, 10–19, 20–39, 40+ hr/week) and not being employed. A 'possible need for employment support' indicator was derived from information about current employment status, caring hours, past impact of caring on employment and desire for more work or workplace accommodations. After controlling for demographic and caring role factors, mental health carers providing 40+ hr of care weekly had greater odds of not being employed compared to carers providing <10 hr (AOR 13.38, 95% CI: 2.17–82.39). For other disability carers, the odds of not being employed were also higher among those providing 20–39 hr of care (AOR 3.21, 95% CI: 2.18–4.73). An estimated 54.1% (95% CI: 43.1–64.8) of carers had a possible need for employment support, with the proportion increasing as level of caring intensity increased. Of carers who were not employed, 42.2% (95% CI: 30.3–55.0) reported a desire to work, and the main reported barrier was no alternative care arrangements or disruption to the person supported. Findings suggest that improving employment participation for mental health carers requires a greater balance between unpaid care and access to formal services for people with mental illness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Informal carers play a vital role in supporting Australians living with a mental illness, including during the acute phases of illness; however, little is known about their impact on length of hospital stay. We aimed to investigate the impact of having a carer and of carer burden on length of hospital stay for mental health. Two Australian datasets were used. Data from the 2010 National Survey of High Impact Psychosis (n = 1825) were used to investigate the impact of having versus not having a carer on length of hospital stay for mental health. Data from the UQ Carer Survey 2016 (n = 105), a convenience sample of mental health carers, were used to investigate the impact of weekly hours of care (a measure of objective carer burden) on length of stay. Multiple logistic regression and correlation analyses were performed to investigate the association between carer status/burden and length of stay. Having a carer was associated with a significantly longer length of hospital stay; however, this relationship was no longer significant after adjusting for diagnosis, global functioning, depressive symptoms, deliberate self‐harm, mental health outpatient contacts and type of admission. Weekly hours of care did not significantly impact on length of stay. Patients with carers had poorer functioning which may be related to longer stays. Our analysis was not able to look at subgroups of carers with different needs. Future work is required to determine other components of the admission and discharge process where having a carer is influential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Concerns about low levels of service utilisation for mental and substance use disorders in Australia – especially among males – have prompted targeted help-seeking and stigma-reduction initiatives. Resulting changes in service utilisation according to gender are unknown. We modelled the percentage of Australian males with a mental or substance use disorder who used services each year between 2006–2007 and 2011–2012, and the types of services they used, relative to females. Methods: Twelve-month prevalence of mental and substance use disorders, stratified by gender, was synthesised from existing estimates. The percentage of males and females with these disorders who used mental health services in each year from 2006–2007 to 2011–2012 was modelled from published programme activity data, supplemented by analyses of epidemiological survey data. Uncertainty analysis quantified the effects of sampling error and assumptions on the estimates. Results: Modelling showed a significant increase in the percentage of people with mental or substance use disorders who used services for their mental health – from 32.0% in 2006–2007 to 40.0% in 2011–2012 in males and from 45.1% in 2006–2007 to 54.6% in 2011–2012 in females. Growth was driven largely by uptake of private specialised services – males’ use of these services grew by 92.7% and females’ by 115.4%. There appeared to be a non-significant decrease in use of general practitioner-only mental health care for males (−17.9%), and a significant decrease in the same for females (−35.1%); however, some assumptions made in the modelling of general practitioner-only care require validation. In 2006–2007, the percentage of females treated was 40.9% higher than for males; in 2011–2012, it was 36.6% greater. Conclusions: Recently implemented initiatives have improved males’ likelihood of service utilisation, particularly their use of specialised mental health services. Although the gender gap may have narrowed, improving males’ access to services should remain a policy priority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study on the efficacy of system-level intersectoral links in providing mental health services for patients with mental health conditions. Topics discussed include the factors that contribute to the inefficiencies of the delivery of mental health services, Australia's National Mental Health Strategy, and the Commonwealth Disability Services Act 1986 that prioritizes psychiatric disabled people.

The article discusses a study using data from the 2007 Australia's National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing (NSMHWB) to examine service demand for 12-month mental health services among adults aged 16 to 64 years. Topics discussed include an examination on questions such as the proportion of adults that reported service demand, the number of consultations received by adults who consulted a health professional and which professionals they consulted.