**3. Results**

The following is a summary of the publicly available results for data to 25 April 2021 for the COVID-19 National Mental Health Services Dashboard and limited data from the state level dashboard, published in Mental Health Services in Australia in July 2021 [6]. In addition to data visualizations and descriptions of trends over time, the following descriptions include comparisons of the most recent publicly available (at time of writing) month of data compared with the same month in 2020 and 2019. These comparisons are provided in the dashboards to help illustrate differences between pre-pandemic, early pandemic and more recent data.

#### *3.1. Use of Medicare-Subsidised Mental Health-Related Services*

• MBS mental health service usage showed a generally upward trend from early April 2020 to end of April 2021, with temporary dips observed during major holiday periods. Over 15.0 million MBS-subsidized mental health-related services were delivered

between 16 March 2020 and 25 April 2021, with just under one third (29.5%) delivered by telehealth. The number of services delivered in the 4 weeks to 25 April 2021, was almost one fifth higher than the number of services provided in the same 4-week period in 2020 and 2019.

• Delivery of MBS subsidized mental health services via telehealth peaked in April 2020, when about half of these services were delivered remotely, corresponding with Australia's national lockdown in April—May 2020 (Figure 1).

**Figure 1.** MBS mental health telehealth services (proportion of all MBS mental health services), January 2020–April 2021. (Website: https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/mental-health-services/mental-health-services-in-australia/reportcontents/covid-19-impact-on-mental-health, accessed on 5 October 2021).

#### *3.2. Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) Prescriptions*

• There was a spike in all mental health-related PBS-subsidized and under co-paymen<sup>t</sup> prescriptions in the 4 weeks to 29 March 2020 at the peak of Australia's initial outbreak, an 18.6% increase in the number of prescriptions dispensed compared to the same period in 2019 (Figure 2).

**Figure 2.** PBS mental health-related prescriptions dispensed (by week), January 2019–March 2021. (Website: https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/mental-health-services/mental-health-services-inaustralia/report-contents/covid-19-impact-on-mental-health, accessed on 5 October 2021).

#### *3.3. Use of Crisis and Support Organisations and Online Mental Health Information Services*

Crisis and support organizations and online mental health information services have reported significant demand increases during the pandemic. Calls to Lifeline increased in 2020 compared to 2019 and have stayed at an elevated level.

Contacts with Beyond Blue increased in March 2020 and stayed elevated throughout the year, settling into a level between 2019 and 2020 volumes in March—April 2021. Kids Helpline contacts spiked in early April 2020, and trended down over the course of 2020, settling back to 2019 levels in 2021 (Figure 3).

**Figure 3.** Crisis and support organization contacts (by week), January 2019–April 2021. (Website: https://www.aihw.gov.au/ reports/mental-health-services/mental-health-services-in-australia/report-contents/covid-19-impact-on-mental-health, accessed on 5 October 2021).

In the 4 weeks to 25 April 2021 (compared to the same period in 2020 and 2019):


#### *3.4. Jurisdictional Differences in Mental Health Service Activity*

Data by some Australian states and territories is included in a state level dashboard, which is supplementary to the national dashboard. Publicly available reporting on this jurisdictional dashboard is currently only available for New South Wales and Victoria.

Australian states and territories have experienced varying levels of outbreaks over the course of the pandemic, striking at different time periods, ranging from no community transmission to the large 'second wave' outbreak in Victoria in winter 2020. Pandemic outbreaks and associated restrictions show clear patterns in the use of MBS telehealth services and use of crisis and support organizations.


**Figure 4.** MBS mental health telehealth services (proportion of all MBS mental health services), by jurisdiction, March 2020–April 2021. (Website: https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/mental-health-services/mental-health-services-in-australia/ report-contents/covid-19-impact-on-mental-health, accessed on 5 October 2021).
