Indicator: Psychiatric Hospital Admissions

Status:

What we know from research

What the data indicates about Mildura
PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL ADMISSIONS
An association between admissions to hospital for mental illness and socio-economic status has been acknowledged for more than fifty years. Considerable research testifies to the connection between social disadvantage (particularly an area’s unemployment rate) and psychiatric admissions.
Admission rates have been calculated for Mildura’s sub-regions using 2003 data. The number of admissions have been related to area populations over 18 years of age and expressed as a rate per 1,000. This enables comparisons with the rate per 1,000 for Regional Victoria (13.5) and the fractionally lower rate for Melbourne (12.4). The accompanying table shows that Mildura Central (27.8) has a rate of admissions approximately double that of Regional Victoria and even after allowing for factors like the proximity of treatment facilities this statistic would seem to warrant closer attention. The rate for Merbein (23.9) is also comparatively high. Indeed, the rate for all of the Mildura localities equals or exceeds that of Regional Victoria.

RATE PER 1000 PSYCHIATRIC ADMISSIONS ACROSS MILDURA’S SUB-REGIONS (2003)
Source: Department of Human Services Unpublished Data 2003

Legend
	Upward trend			Progress away from desired direction
	Downward trend
	No observable trend		Progress towards desired direction
	Under construction

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Last Updated: Tuesday, 6 February 2007