Doctors have urgently called on the federal government to relieve pressure on the mental health sector, following reports people are facing 12-month waitlists to see psychologists.
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) has asked the government to restructure Medicare, implement new service incentive payments for doctors managing mental health conditions and making longer phone consultations a permanent telehealth fixture.
RACGP president Dr Karen Rice said the situation was a national emergency.
“I’m hearing reports that one in three psychologists are closing their books to new patients. The figure was just one in 100 before the COVID-19 pandemic and a precipitous decline like that should ring alarm bells,” Dr Rice said.
“GPs see the consequences of people who aren’t accessing the help they need for mental health issues almost every day. Patients can rapidly deteriorate without the right type of interventions and, for many people, consultations with their GP in combination with psychological services, are essential.”
Principal psychologist Jill Crookes said at one point, her clinic had to tell doctors to stop referring patients.
“The demand because of COVID has just been astronomical. There’s an incredible shortage of psychologists, that doesn’t look like it’ll get any better any time soon.”
Big changes and an unidentifiable future were the biggest contributors to making people feel more anxious and depressed, Ms Crookes believes.
“People were overwhelmed, they were working from home and for lots of people going to work was an important social connection. They were worried about the future, how long will this go on? Will my parents die if they catch it? If they go to the hospital will they die alone?”
Dr Price said the situation was dire.
“Unfortunately, the full scale of what we are facing may only become apparent in the months and years ahead because many patients avoided or delayed consults with their GP during the pandemic. So, addressing the causes behind this profound shortfall in psychologists must be addressed.”
