Kissane et al (1998) found that for women recently diagnosed with primary -stage breast cancer, 42% were diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder, most commonly depression and anxiety. This was a particularly substantial proportion given the low pain and disability and relatively good prognosis. Selection bias may explain the high prevalence, as patients were informed of the possibility of group psychological intervention for taking part, and 38% of the patients initially approached declined to participate in the study. Intentional self-harm accounted for 25,260 separations in public hospitals and 1,477 separations in private hospitals (Australian Hospital Statistics 1999-2000). Dhossche, Ulusarac and Syed (2001) found retrospectively that suicide rates for general hospital patients were close to three times more common in general hospitals than in the general population. Cases of deliberate self-poisoning constitute about 10% of medical admissions in Australia (Henderson et al 1993). Also,
patients who attempted suicide make up 3-5% of major intensive care admissions in Melbourne (Bailey 1998). Overall, from the limited data available, Australia does not appear to differ from other countries in the level of prevalence of mental illness in hospital settings.