Mental health
State and territory mental health presentations
Northern Territory had the highest rate of mental health-related ED presentations (285 per 10,000 population)
Across most states and territories, the most frequently used principal diagnosis grouping for mental health ED presentations was Mental and behavioural disorders due to psychoactive substance use (F10–F19)
New South Wales had the highest percentage of mental health-related ED presentations seen on time (68%) and the lowest median waiting time (17 minutes).
Further state and territory mental health ED presentations data can be found in the Mental health presentations to emergency departments data tables on the previous page.
Service provision
In 2022–23, the Northern Territory had the highest rate of mental health-related emergency department (ED) presentations (285 per 10,000 population), and Victoria the lowest (84). This is a consistent trend since 2014–15, where the Northern Territory had the highest rate of ED presentations annually (ranging from 250 to 305) and Victoria the lowest (ranging from 82 to 101) (Figure ED.1).
Figure ED.1 Rate (per 10,000 population) of mental health-related ED presentations, states and territories, 2014–15 to 2022–23
Line chart showing rates (per, 10,000 population) of mental-health related presentations to public emergency departments, 2014–15 to 2022–23
| Year | New South Wales | Victoria | Queensland | Western Australia | South Australia | Tasmania | Australian Capital Territory | Northern Territory |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014–15 | 117 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population | 82 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population | 116 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population | 103 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population | 125 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population | 107 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population | 101 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population | 250 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population |
| 2015–16 | 128 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population | 87 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population | 119 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population | 117 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population | 135 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population | 115 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population | 106 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population | 266 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population |
| 2016–17 | 121 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population | 87 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population | 115 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population | 122 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population | 137 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population | 117 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population | 116 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population | 266 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population |
| 2017–18 | 120 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population | 90 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population | 115 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population | 137 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population | 140 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population | 109 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population | 110 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population | 280 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population |
| 2018–19 | 128 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population | 97 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population | 118 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population | 140 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population | 135 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population | 109 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population | 108 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population | 272 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population |
| 2019–20 | 120 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population | 99 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population | 128 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population | 141 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population | 150 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population | 110 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population | 120 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population | 284 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population |
| 2020–21 | 115 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population | 101 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population | 126 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population | 141 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population | 153 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population | 109 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population | 121 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population | 305 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population |
| 2021–22 | 105 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population | 89 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population | 117 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population | 127 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population | 124 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population | 102 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population | 103 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population | 283 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population |
| 2022–23 | 107 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population | 84 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population | 126 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population | 125 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population | 117 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population | 101 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population | 98 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population | 285 mental health-related presentations per 10,000 population |
State or territory | Total mental health-related presentations | Median mental health-related presentations per day | Number of mental health-related presentations on busiest day |
NSW | 88,478 | 242 | 366 |
Vic | 56,700 | 156 | 195 |
Qld | 68,062 | 186 | 254 |
WA | 35,360 | 97 | 135 |
SA | 21,412 | 58 | 83 |
Tas | 5,760 | 15 | 29 |
ACT | 4,502 | 12 | 24 |
NT | 7,145 | 20 | 32 |
Principal diagnosis
In 2022–23, across all states and territories the 2 most frequent principal diagnosis groupings among mental health-related ED presentations were Mental and behavioural disorders due to psychoactive substance use (F10–F19) and Neurotic, stress-related and somatoform disorders (F40–F49) (Table ED.2). For more information on these diagnosis groupings please see the data source section.
State or territory | Mental and behavioural disorders due to psychoactive substance use (F10-F19) | Neurotic, stress-related and somatoform disorders (F40-F49) |
NSW | 23% | 23% |
Vic | 29% | 19% |
Qld | 28% | 28% |
WA | 27% | 34% |
SA | 25% | 19% |
Tas | 24% | 17% |
ACT | 24% | 26% |
NT | 54% | 18% |
In 2022–23, Ambulance, air ambulance or helicopter rescue service was the most frequent mode of arrival for mental health-related ED presentations in Queensland (58%), South Australia (54%) New South Wales (52%), Victoria (52%), and Tasmania (51%) . Arrival by Other means of transport – including (but not limited to) private transport, public transport, community transport, private ambulance, taxi and walking – was the most frequent mode in Western Australia (51%), the Australian Capital Territory (48%) and the Northern Territory (45%). The highest proportion of mental health-related ED presentations to arrive by Police/correctional service vehicles was in the Northern Territory (12%) and the lowest in New South Wales (5%).
For almost all states and territories, the most frequently recorded triage category was Urgent (ranging from 56% of presentations in Queensland down to 41% in the Northern territory), followed by Semi-urgent (ranging from 28% of presentations in the Northern Territory down to 19% in Queensland). The exceptions to this were Victoria and Queensland where the proportion of presentations categorised as Emergency (24% in Victoria and 19% in Queensland) were the same or greater than Semi-urgent (20% in Victoria and 19% in Queensland).
What are the characteristics of emergency departments services?
Waiting time
An ED presentation is classified as ‘seen on time’ when commencement of clinical care is within the time specified in the definition of the triage category. In 2022–23, New South Wales had the highest proportion of presentations seen on time (68%) followed by Queensland (63%) (Figure ED.2). Across all states and territories, the proportion of mental health-related ED presentations seen on time has decreased since 2014–15, though most states experienced an increase during 2019–20, coinciding with the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.
New South Wales had the lowest median waiting time (17 minutes) and Western Australia and the Australian Capital Territory the longest (46 minutes) in 2022–23.
Figure ED.2 Proportion of mental health-related ED presentations seen on time, states and territories, 2014–15 to 2022–23
Line chart showing proportion of mental health-related ED presentations classified as seen on time according to triage category guidelines, states and territories, 2014–15 to 2022–23
| Year | New South Wales | Victoria | Queensland | Western Australia | South Australia | Tasmania | Australian Capital Territory | Northern Territory | National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014–15 | 77% of presentations seen on time | 73% of presentations seen on time | 71% of presentations seen on time | 61% of presentations seen on time | 59% of presentations seen on time | 64% of presentations seen on time | 65% of presentations seen on time | 58% of presentations seen on time | 71% of presentations seen on time |
| 2015–16 | 77% of presentations seen on time | 72% of presentations seen on time | 68% of presentations seen on time | 57% of presentations seen on time | 59% of presentations seen on time | 59% of presentations seen on time | 59% of presentations seen on time | 59% of presentations seen on time | 69% of presentations seen on time |
| 2016–17 | 76% of presentations seen on time | 72% of presentations seen on time | 66% of presentations seen on time | 56% of presentations seen on time | 56% of presentations seen on time | 57% of presentations seen on time | 58% of presentations seen on time | 58% of presentations seen on time | 68% of presentations seen on time |
| 2017–18 | 77% of presentations seen on time | 71% of presentations seen on time | 65% of presentations seen on time | 57% of presentations seen on time | 52% of presentations seen on time | 56% of presentations seen on time | 43% of presentations seen on time | 56% of presentations seen on time | 67% of presentations seen on time |
| 2018–19 | 75% of presentations seen on time | 68% of presentations seen on time | 65% of presentations seen on time | 55% of presentations seen on time | 50% of presentations seen on time | 53% of presentations seen on time | 38% of presentations seen on time | 61% of presentations seen on time | 66% of presentations seen on time |
| 2019–20 | 76% of presentations seen on time | 64% of presentations seen on time | 74% of presentations seen on time | 58% of presentations seen on time | 57% of presentations seen on time | 52% of presentations seen on time | 42% of presentations seen on time | 65% of presentations seen on time | 68% of presentations seen on time |
| 2020–21 | 74% of presentations seen on time | 63% of presentations seen on time | 69% of presentations seen on time | 49% of presentations seen on time | 53% of presentations seen on time | 43% of presentations seen on time | 38% of presentations seen on time | 60% of presentations seen on time | 64% of presentations seen on time |
| 2021–22 | 71% of presentations seen on time | 57% of presentations seen on time | 64% of presentations seen on time | 42% of presentations seen on time | 50% of presentations seen on time | 42% of presentations seen on time | 41% of presentations seen on time | 58% of presentations seen on time | 60% of presentations seen on time |
| 2022–23 | 68% of presentations seen on time | 60% of presentations seen on time | 63% of presentations seen on time | 41% of presentations seen on time | 42% of presentations seen on time | 42% of presentations seen on time | 42% of presentations seen on time | 51% of presentations seen on time | 59% of presentations seen on time |
An emergency department presentation is categorised as seen on time when commencement of clinical care was within the time specified in the definition of the triage category.
The triage category indicates the urgency of the patient’s need for medical and nursing care. It is usually assigned by an experienced registered nurse or medical practitioner at, or shortly after, the time of presentation to the emergency department. The triage category assigned is in response to the question: ‘This patient should wait for medical assessment and treatment no longer than...?’
The Australasian Triage Scale has 5 categories that incorporate the time by which the patient should receive care:
• Resuscitation: immediate (within seconds)
• Emergency: within 10 minutes
• Urgent: within 30 minutes
• Semi-urgent: within 60 minutes
• Non-urgent: within 120 minutes.
For definition of "seen on time" see notes tab
Length of stay
Length of emergency department stay refers to the elapsed time from presentation to physical departure from the ED unit. In 2022–23, Tasmania had the longest median length of stay for mental health-related ED presentations (6h:28m), followed by South Australia (6h:25m). The Northern Territory had the shortest median length of stay (3h:09m).
Where can I find more information?
National Non-Admitted Patient Emergency Department Care Database
All state and territory health authorities collect a core set of nationally comparable information on emergency department (ED) presentations (including mental health-related ED presentations) in public hospitals within their jurisdiction. The AIHW compiles this data annually to form the National Non-Admitted Patient Emergency Department Care Database (NNAPEDCD). In 2022–23, 293 of Australia’s public hospital emergency departments reported emergency department presentations to the NNAPEDCD (AIHW 2023).
Prior to 2014–15, diagnosis-related information was not included in the NNAPEDCD and states and territories provided the AIHW with a bespoke analysis of mental health-related ED presentations. Diagnosis-related data has subsequently been included in the NNAPEDCD. In this report, data from 2014–15 to 2022–23 are sourced from the NNAPEDCD.
Definition of mental health-related emergency department presentations
Mental health-related ED presentations in this report are defined as presentations in public hospital EDs that have a principal diagnosis of Mental and behavioural disorders (that is, codes F00–F99) in ICD-10-AM or the equivalent codes in other coding schemas. It does not include codes for self-harm or poisoning.
For 2022–23, principal diagnoses information is reported for the NNAPEDCD using ICD-10-AM (11th Ed) Principal Diagnosis Short List, developed by the Independent Health and Aged Care Hospital Pricing Authority (IHACPA) from the full version of ICD-10-AM. Further information is available in Emergency department care 2022–23 Appendixes (AIHW 2023).
The Mental and behavioural disorders principal diagnosis codes may not fully capture all mental health-related presentations to EDs, such as presentations for self-harm. Diagnosis codes for intentional self-harm are not part of the Mental and behavioural disorders chapter and are not in-scope for the principal diagnosis variable for the NNAPEDCD. Additionally, a presentation for self-harm may have a principal diagnosis relating to the injury, for example Open wound to wrist and hand. These presentations cannot be identified as mental health-related presentations in the NNAPEDCD and are not included in this report.
Further information on the NNAPEDCD is available on METEOR, the AIHW’s Metadata Online Registry.
Mental health-related diagnosis groupings taken from ICD-10-AM diagnosis codes
F00–09: Organic, including symptomatic, mental disorders
F10–19: Mental and behavioural disorders due to psychoactive substance use
F20–29: Schizophrenia, schizotypal and delusional disorders
F30–39: Mood (affective) disorders
F40–49: Neurotic, stress-related and somatoform disorders
F50–59: Behavioural syndromes associated with physiological disturbances and physical factors
F60–69: Disorders of adult personality and behaviour
F70–79; F80–89: Mental retardation; Disorders of psychological development
F90–98: Behavioural and emotional disorders with onset usually occurring in childhood and adolescence
F99: Mental disorder, not otherwise specified
AIHW (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare) (2023). Hospitals info & downloads: About the data, AIHW, accessed 15 February 2024.
Data coverage includes the time period 2014–15 to 2022–23. This section was last updated in July 2024.