Mental health status of the South Australian population.

Objective: To determine, by the use of a telephone survey, the mental health status of SA adults (18+ years) using the GHQ-28, SF-12 and self-report as indicators of mental health, and to examine risk factors for mental health morbidity.

Sample: A random representative sample of South Australian adults selected from the Electronic White Pages. Overall, 2,501 interviews were conducted (74.0% response rate).

Results: Overall, 19.5% of respondents had a mental health problem as determined by the GHQ-28, 11.8% as determined by the mental health component summary score of the SF-12 and 11.9% self-reported a mental health condition. The percentage of people with a mental health problem who had used a psychologist or a psychiatrist in the previous 12 months was 9.6% for people diagnosed by the GHQ-28, 16.2% by SF-12 and 23.7% for self-report. The logistic regression analyses undertaken to describe people with a mental health problem as determined by the GHQ-28 and to describe people who visited a psychologist or psychiatrist produced different age categories, demographic and co-morbidity indicators. Variables found in both analyses included living in the metropolitan area, being economically inactive and being a high user of health services.

Conclusions: One in five South Australian adults has a mental problem. Although the prevalence is higher for younger age groups, older adults are more likely to visit a psychologist or a psychiatrist.

Implications: Telephone interviewing produces robust indicators of the prevalence of mental health problems and is a cost-effective way of identifying prevalence estimates or tracking changes over time.