Mental health policies explained

That's interesting to know. Then again, probably most people in crisis need to see a psych more than once? Who also don't have the option of being on NDIS?

I can certainly see flaws.

It's good to know about the psych appointment being subsidised though. @avant-garde

I guess it's like people not knowing that you can get 10 subsidised group sessions on top of 10 subsidised individual sessions.

@tyme

Yeah most psychiatrists want to see you twice as a basis... I know the hospital system even as an outpatient, they rejected my referral saying I don't need it

From what I heard, they are peeling back the funds which also means it is harder to access NDIS @avant-garde

All the best with accessing support though.

---

@tyme wrote:

I haven't seen a psychiatrist in a while now, but the more I reach out to people, the more I realise MH recovery is for those who are acutely unwell or for those who have money? ($500+ for one psychiatrist appointment???) How is that fair?

@Dimity @chibam @avant-garde

---

Even moreso if your problem is unemployment, @tyme .

Most naieve people would assume that $2,000 - $3,000 for a half-dozen therapy sessions would ultimately be a good investment, because you'd come out of it with a $50,000+/- p.a. job, so you make your investment back after 2-4 weeks. Except, thanks to the bonkers internal rules of the therapy profession, that $500/hr therapist is never going to give you a job! So that $500/hr you spend on him is just money down the drain!

That's what really got my blood boiling during this recent pay dispute with the NSW psychiatrists. A bunch of elitist doctors all complaining that that their $360,000 p.a. lifestyle isn't good enough.

How many of their patients are chronically unemployed? How many of their patients are making effectively $0 p.a.?

If these doctors are such great humanitarians, then how come they've never raised hell with the government for not giving their unemployed patients $360,000 p.a. jobs? Or, for that matter, even jobs that pay a smaller fraction of that amount? How come they aren't protesting the lack of resources and professional contacts to be able to help their patients achieve the life they desire? How come it's only when their own lavish lifestyle is less-then-ideal that they raise hell and make headlines?

I despair...

EDIT: And that also begs the question, how much of this $1 billion or so government investment in mental health that will supposedly come out of this election end up going directly into the ever-hungry pockets of the therapists, rather then producing noticeably better outcomes for the patient community?

Thanks for tagging me on this @Dimity

It is so important for people to actually hear the lived experience on MH.

Most people are completely unaware of the facts.

To actually get your 10 sessions with a psychologist rebated through Medicare requires 2 GP appointments. One for the first 6 sessions and one to continue for the remaining 4.
The gap between what psychologists currently charge and the Medicare rebate is getting larger. Most GPs especially in rural and remote areas do not bulk bill and do not accept just the item fee for MHCP appointments.

Of the people, who really need a MHCP, that is not the worried well, what percentage will be well enough after 10 sessions, let alone 6, to continue with no psychological support.

Of the people who really need a MHCP, what percentage are able to work full-time in a non-minimum wage job.
What percentage of people who are not eligible for NDIS will go past age 65 without any MH supports, free or heavily subsidised.

What is the fastest growing group of homeless people - women over 50 years old.

Yes, young people need MH services, but they are not the only people in society who do. Older people have had to struggle with the stigma and lack of funding and understanding for decades and are set to be invisible once again.

Such an important topic with the population aging.Thanks @Dimity @RachSANECEO

Thanks for these inputs @Till23 . I agree the senior cohort who aren't eligible for NDIS risk being forgotten.

Or not quite. I was told my Commonwealth Home Support Proram assessment made me eligible for subsidised psychology but I understand all CHSP subsidies are with registered/ providers and there aren't any I can find. Incidentally the same thing with garden maintenance- I've been approved but can't find a provider. It's not covered by my home help or home maintenance provider. The My Aged Care website seems difficult to use and gives inconsistent results at different times. I should probably persevere and search periodically in case of updates.

---

@Till23 wrote:

The gap between what psychologists currently charge and the Medicare rebate is getting larger.

---

I was really struck by this comment of yours, @Till23 .

I remember when I was in therapy, there was a series of increases to the size of the Medicare discount (the discount scheme was brand new back then, and I think it was finding it's legs). Every time the discount increased, my therapist would immediately jack up her fees to consume the entirety of the rise - so my family was still paying the same amount overall. I don't remember for certain but I think we ended up paying slightly more per session when I was let go then we were when the discount was brand new.

Fast forward to 2025 and since the election's been announced, I encounter this document (https://assets.nationbuilder.com/afmh/pages/2660/attachments/original/1743572995/NSW_Electorate_Mental_Health_Statistics-pages-deleted.pdf?1743572995) published by "Australians For Mental Health", listing the statistics, electorate-by-electorate, for what people are ultimately paying for therapy these days.

I'm sure that the therapy costs for my electorate in that document is about $10 - $15 cheaper then what we were paying when I was on the scheme. And that really astounds me because that was over 12 years ago! The laws of inflation dictate that the cost of therapy should've actually gone up significantly over that time, so the only way the actual cost of therapy to the patient could've gone down is if the government discount has massively increased in the intervening years.

I find this very hard to believe. And it certainly goes against your comment that the gap between therapists' fees and the government discount is growing larger, not smaller.

Do the numbers in that document seem right to you, @Till23 ?

I live in a regional area @chibam the figures quoted in the document are less than the current situation in my electorate for GP and psychologist. My psychologist charges at the low end of the fees in my area and the gap is still larger than quoted in the document. Even though average fees are quoted in the document - you would need to know who is included in theee figures. All figures can be massaged. Hence we are now quoted the unemployed and the under-employed. Because the definition of employed is you work one hour or more a week!