TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2022//
TI  - Trends in primary mental health care service use and subsequent self-harm in western Sydney Australia: policy and workforce implications
JO  - International journal of environmental research and public health
A1  - Munasinghe, Sithum
A1  - Page, Andrew
A1  - Sperandei, Sandro
A1  - Gaur, Pankaj
A1  - Ferdousi, Shahana
A1  - Mannan, Haider
A1  - Brakoulias, Vlasios
SP  - e3382
EP  - e3382
VL  - 19
IS  - 6
N2  - BACKGROUND: This study investigated the trends in primary mental health care (PMHC) service use and hospital-treated self-harm in Western Sydney (Australia). <br><br>METHODS: A data linkage study and descriptive ecological study of PMHC referrals investigated the trends in referrals, treatment attendance, hospital-treated self-harm, and health care practitioners (HCPs) for the period of 2013-2018 (n = 19,437). <br><br>RESULTS: There was a substantial increase in referrals from 2016. The majority of referrals were females (60.9%), those aged <45 years (71.3%), and those presenting with anxiety or affective disorders (78.9%). Referrals of those at risk of suicide increased from 9.7% in 2013 to 17.8% in 2018. There were 264 (2.2%) cases of subsequent hospital-treated self-harm, with higher rates among those at risk of suicide and those who attended <6 sessions. The number of HCPs per referral also increased from 2013, as did waiting times for treatment initiation. <br><br>CONCLUSION: Individuals presenting to PMHC services at risk of suicide, and who subsequently presented to a hospital setting following self-harm, were more likely to either not attend services following a referral or to attend fewer services. This trend occurred in the context of an increase in the number of clients per HCP, suggesting workforce capacity has not kept pace with demand.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 1661-7827
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19063382
ID  - ref1
ER  -