PBS WORK AND EDUCATION



EDUCATION



Education and training are important means by which individuals can realise their full potential and make positive choices about their wellbeing. Education and training are often essential to gaining paid employment, and can provide the pathway to a rewarding career (Endnote 3).

Of the 3 million Australians aged 15-64 years whose highest level of education was a Bachelor degree or higher, 6.4% accessed a PBS subsidised mental health-related medication in 2011.



Of the 3.7 million Australians aged 15-64 years whose highest level of education was Year 11 or below, 14.5% accessed a PBS subsidised mental health-related medication in 2011.



Antidepressants were the most commonly used medication across all levels of educational attainment.





Graph 8: Proportion of Australian population aged 15-64 years accessing PBS subsidised mental health-related prescription medication -- 2011, by Level of Highest Educational Attainment and Drug Type





Paid employment is a major source of economic resources and security for most individuals. It allows people to contribute to their community and it can enhance their skills, social networks and identity (Endnote 3).

Generally, participation in the labour force tends to be lower in the teenage years, before rising in the twenties as people complete their educational qualifications and begin a career. The rate for men tends to stay quite high until they reach their late fifties and into their sixties, when many men retire. For women, the labour force participation rate tends to dip during the peak child-bearing years between ages 25 and 44 years (Endnote 4).

In 2011, of all employed Australians aged 15-64 years, 6.6% accessed subsidised mental health- related medications, compared with 13.3% of all people who were unemployed and 20% of all people who were not in the labour force.



In particular, people aged 35 years and over who were not in the labour force were more likely to access a subsidised PBS mental health-related medication than people who were employed or unemployed.





Graph 9: Proportion of Australian population aged 15-64 years accessing PBS subsidised mental health-related prescription medication - 2011, by Age and Labour Force Status



