The death rate of people using mental-health services in Australia is almost twice as high as the general population, a new report has found.

Figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics report found the standardised rate of death for people seeking mental-health treatment subsidised by the federal government was 11.4 deaths per 1000 people, compared to 6.1 per 1000 among the general population.

The mortality rate for people seeking mental health treatment was almost double the Australian rate. Credit:Thinkstock

The report has renewed calls from mental health experts for an equal focus to be placed on mental and physical wellbeing.

It found that out of the 153,451 deaths in Australia between August 2011 and September 2012, 49.4 per cent of those sought mental-health treatment.